The Doctor's Destiny Book 3: Phantoms
by Aline Riva
Summary: The Seventh Doctor and Ace are looking forward to the birth of their first child - but back in 1888, the 14th Doctor, known as Rebel, runs into trouble after banishing a shape-shifting flesh eating creature the earth has come to know as Jack the Ripper. Once again the two Doctor's destinies meet - but can the Doctor save Rebel from a mistake that may lead to his untimely death?
1. Chapter 1

**Phantoms**

**Author Note: This book follows on from 'The Doctor's Mistress'**

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**Summary:**

**While the Seventh Doctor and Ace enjoy a settled life whilst her pregnancy advances, they begin to make plans for the future, plans to raise their child quietly on a peaceful planet as the Doctor vows to keep out of trouble – but their plans are to be short-lived...**

**The Fourteenth Doctor, known as Rebel, had landed his Tardis in 1888 and is in pursuit of a flesh-eating, shape-shifting creature that has become known on Earth as Jack the Ripper. When he and Riley manage to trap the creature and disable its solidifying function, they assume the creature is banished from the earth. **

**Then Rebel turns his attentions to other matters – his attraction to Carla Bailey, which he is trying to ignore despite Riley reminding him that he has been widowed for more than three years now. But Rebel chooses instead to pay a visit to Madam Anastasia Newell, who specialises in dealing out the kind of pain Rebel's empathic receptor craves. But Rebel gets much more than he bargains for and when he returns to the Tardis, Carla is distressed to discover he has collapsed due the to extent of the beating he has received.**

**Shortly afterwards, Rebel begins to see visions of his dead wife Bella, who urges him to follow a star map to an area of dark space he has never seen before. Riley dismisses Bella's ghost as an hallucination, and Carla blames it on the fact that his empathic receptor, essentially a mutation, is growing and claims it will soon pose a threat to Rebel's life.**

**While Rebel and Carla quarrel about the situation, Riley uses the space-time channel to contact the Seventh Doctor, urging him to meet them on Earth in 1888 – it will be a meeting of many consequences as events take a disastrous turn, and finally the truth about the Seventh Doctor's close link with his Fourteenth incarnation, and the real reason he saved Carla Bailey from the destruction of the Cassandra-Aurora, will be revealed...**

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**Rated T**

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**Warnings: Contains some scenes of violence, horror and adult themes and issues.**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is a work of fan fiction.**

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Chapter 1

The Doctor and Ace were sitting together on a bench in the park. The sun was shining and the blue sky seemed to offer the promise of a sea of blue in the beyond marred by no could almost forever as the blue seemed deep and endless.

The Doctor was leaning on the handle of his question mark umbrella as he turned his gaze towards that sky, focusing beyond it.

_His thoughts were far from earth._

Ace knew it as she caught his expression – almost eight months away from space, and he was missing it, even though they were still in Perivale, at least for now...

Then another thought crossed her mind and as she put her hand on the growing bump that was becoming larger by the day, she thought of him, and her, and the baby and another reason why he might be thinking about space, and then she wondered if being pregnant was making her anxious, perhaps that was why her thoughts had turned back to wondering if he was missing _that woman_ again...

"Professor?"

"What is it?"

He sounded as far away as this thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?"

He turned to her and smiled.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

And Ace looked down at the bump that stretched her clothing.

"And this is your Daddy," she said to their unborn child, "Always keeping secrets!"

"Oh Ace, I didn't mean it like that! I was just thinking about people we know -"

"_Not her."_

He caught the look in her eyes and felt a flicker of guilt and knew in that moment that he always would feel guilty at the emotion of Carla Bailey.

Ace had forgiven him but she would never forget...

"I was thinking about Rebel," he told her, "We've got so much to thank him for. I wish he'd stayed around to let me do that. But he's got his own path to follow. What's wrong?"

He was looking at her intently.

"I wondered if you still miss her."

He gave a sigh.

"No, I do _not_ miss Carla Bailey!"

"She was a mistake."

Ace desperately wanted him to agree with her.

The Doctor thought for a moment.

"No, I wouldn't say it was a mistake..."

Then anger flashed in her eyes as Ace glared at him.

"No regrets then? I thought you was sorry -"

"Ace, I didn't mean it like that! I meant, I didn't make a mistake saving her from the Cassandra-Aurora. Everything that happens has a consequence. Forget about me and her, that's _not_ the reason! She kept me alive before I found the cure for the Master's toxin...that's part of it...the other part is nothing to do with me, at least, not in this lifetime! When a person comes into the life of more than one Doctor it's significant, it means something else is going on."

"And you're not going to tell me what it is."

"I don't know what it is."

Ace looked at him intently.

"What do you think it might be?"

He shook his head. Something was reaching out, like a tendril of time, some kind of a link...

"I'm closer to him than I think...I'm not sure in what way. She's the key."

"It had to be her!" Ace said resentfully.

"No!" he insisted, "Put that part out of your mind – it's about what she did for me -"

Now Ace was looking angry again.

"Don't even go there -"

He held up his hand.

"_Stop!"_

Ace stared at him.

"Okay," she said as her tone became frosty, "If it's not about you and her, what _is_ it about?"

He paused for a moment as he tried to tune in to something distant, and then he shook his head.

"Something, but I don't now what it is yet. He needs her. He may not know it yet, but he does. "

"I guessed it was about _sex_."

"No, Ace! That's not what I mean and I think you know that! Rebel's wife and children died when their planet's solar shield system failed. He's still in mourning. He's not going to fall for another woman until he's ready. And I don't know how long that could take. It's not about her being with him in that way..."

And once again his gaze wandered to the blue sky as he thought deeply on the matter.

"I'm not sure..." he murmured, "All I know is, the Doctor needs someone who will never give up on him. She didn't give up on me -"

"Which way are we talking about?"

He gave another sigh.

"I mean _professionally,_ when she helped me fight the toxin! That's _all_ I mean!"

"So you think they're meant to be together in some way?"

The Doctor got up from the bench and offered Ace his hand, helping her up and then keeping hold of her hand as they turned towards the open park gates.

"He definitely needs her. I'm starting to think I didn't even save her to help me when she did – maybe something from the future was reaching back... ties between Doctors are very strong, and when there's a bond of closeness like this there's always another reason. I just hope it's a good one."

As they walked towards the gates, Ace was smiling.

"Well it's nothing to do with us," she reminded him.

"Yes," the Doctor replied, "I promised we will have a quiet peaceful life now the baby's on the way. And we shall have a quiet life. I won't let you down."

And she smiled again and they left the park, but as they walked away the Doctor cast a glance over his shoulder, as if an echo of something far beyond that deep blue sky had just called him back. Something was out there, he could sense it, but he didn't want to mention it to Ace, not yet, not until he had to...

Something was on the horizon, it was coming closer by the day and it felt like time was reaching out to him, calling him back as it reached for him with something cold and dark that reminded him the peaceful days he had promised Ace could not last much longer...

* * *

Far off in time, back in the year 1888, two men walked side by side along the streets of Whitechapel. The Dark blue Tardis with stained glass windows had been landed down a dark and empty blind alley, and now Rebel and Riley walked along the busy streets, Riley looking around with interest as he took in the sights and sounds of Victorian London.

"How do I look?" he asked.

Rebel glanced at him.

"Like an interstellar highway man."

"You said that before!"

Rebel glanced at him again, taking in the sight of his dark brown suit and top hat that had brass-rimmed placed goggles around them.

"Before you looked like an interstellar highway man in a stolen coat. Now you look like a steam punk interstellar highway man."

"Should I go and change?"

"No, you look fine."

Riley glanced at Rebel's own attire, a Victorian suit with a velvet waist coat and a long leather coat, all in black as usual.

"You could have put some colour into that get up. Like a blue tie or something."

Rebel gestured to the open neck of his shirt.

"I hate ties."

And they continued to walk as a horse and carriage passed by and children played in the street and the poor of the East End went about their day.

Rebel took in a deep breath, wishing the empathic receptor in his head would just shut down for a while – they had been in 1888 for three days, and ever since arriving he had been bombarded by the cries of those in pain, the sick, the starving, the poor... but the blue mist couldn't constantly block it because he had a task to perform and needed a clear head to carry it out...

He scanned the streets left and right but saw no sign of his target.

Riley was still talking.

"And on another subject," he said, "I've noticed you and Carla are getting on really well."

"Carla Bailey is using her medical skills to research my empathic receptor, she's working on a cybernetic device that could enable me to turn it on and off without relying on the blue mist to block it."

"_That's not what I mean." _

They both stopped walking.

Rebel looked intently at Riley.

"So what are you saying? That I should cast side the memory of my late wife and just _replace_ her?"

Riley lowered his voice.

"It's got to be better than paying for sex, I know why you do it – sex with no guilt, no love involved – you can't be faithful to a memory forever! Listen mate, my sister is _gone_. I'm not your brother in law any more, I'm your _brother._ And I'm telling you as a best mate to do something about it! You like her, she likes you -"

"It's not so simple for me."

Riley looked at him sadly.

"But it should be. Bella's been gone for more than three years. And you've got the rest of this life and all your other regenerations..._don't_ spend them alone! At least have some happiness while you can."

Rebel smiled fondly at Riley.

"I know what you're trying to say. But it's just not the right time."

Riley didn't give up.

"Yeah, I get that, but you like a bossy woman. She's _well _bossy!"

And Rebel laughed, but Riley continued:

"You know I'm right – she's not _my _kind of woman, but I think you and her would do well together. You know, she's always nagging you and asking you what you've been up to, tells you off when you do the blue, tells you off when you get drunk...you like being dominated. And I'm just saying, that woman is the sort to keep your balls in a glass jar in her handbag, know what I mean?"

Then he saw a flicker of excitement in Rebel's eyes.

"_In a jar in her handbag?"_

"Nah, forget I said that...I really wish I hadn't said it now...I forgot what a phrase like that would do to you!"

And then as something dark and evil hit his empathic receptor, the Doctor turned sharply to see a man in a dark suit heading for cover beneath a gloomy bridge.

"_There it is!"_ he exclaimed, drawing a sleek black sonic screwdriver from his pocket, "Every suspect in the Ripper murders embodied in one being -"

Riley frowned.

"Is it a zygon?"

"No it is _not_ a zygon! It's a powerful entity that's visited earth intending to feast on human flesh... I think we set the shields in the right place, it just has to go a little further into the tunnel..."

He watched as the man walked deeper into the darkness.

"Come on!" he said to Riley, "It's time!"

As they ran into the darkness the tunnel was lit with an eerie green glow as the shields surrounding the creature locked on, trapping it in a glowing beam. The figure of the man was shifting now, twisting about as its features lost solidity and it became a dark mass, eyes glowing, wide mouths opening on three sides of its face as its body turned into a swirling mass. It gave a shriek as it struggled.

Rebel twisted his sonic screwdriver and aimed at the creature.

"Combined forces will neutralize its solidifying device, meaning it has to return to its ethereal form – and be forced to leave the planet. Sonic on full power!"

Riley blinked.

"Ain't got one..."

Rebel put his hand in his pocket, took out another screwdriver and tossed it to him."_Spare_ sonic on full power!"

Riley twisted the device and held it out, aiming for the creature.

"After three," Rebel said, watching the dark mass as it struggled.

"After three, _what?_"

He gave an impatient sigh.

"You press the button, man! _Aim, point, fire...one, two, three_!"

And Rebel hit the power button and so did Riley.

A stream of energy shot from both screwdrivers, meeting and streaming through the shields that trapped the creature, sending the green glow purple and then brilliant white as it uttered a scream that filled the tunnel.

And then the creature dissolved, melted away and the the shield system grew dark.

Rebel deactivated the screwdriver and blew the tip before putting it back into his pocket, and Riley did the same.

"So its gone?"

Rebel smiled.

"Once again the earth is safe!" he announced, turning back the way they came in, "History confirms it – there will be no more Ripper killings, because we just banished the creature from the planet!"

And they walked out of the tunnel together.

"So what's next?" Riley asked.

Rebel thought for a moment.

"You go back to the Tardis – I've got one more loose end to tidy up."

"But I thought it was finished -"

"I've got something private to do...it won't take long. Tell Carla I'll be back by this evening."

Riley chuckled.

"She won't like that. She likes to know where you are at all times. Why don't you just come back to the Tardis and -"

"No," he said quickly, "I've some business to attend to."

And then he ran over to the side of the cobbled street and hailed a cab.

Horse hooves clattered to a stop and Rebel paused to say something to the driver, and then he jumped in and the carriage thundered off.

Riley gave a sigh.

"_Why _won't you listen?" he said aloud, "Carla's crazy about you!"

And then he began to walk back through the busy street, heading for the Tardis.

* * *

As the carriage carried Rebel away from the streets of Whitechapel and into a more upmarket side of town, the empathic receptor in his head was still pulling in the cries of the suffering. He briefly closed his eyes and drew in a breath, calming himself as he thought of what was to come:

_Victorian England was an awkward place for an empath who tuned into pain to be – poverty, sickness, hardship – there was pain all around him, too much to alleviate, too much to bear..._

And then he opened his eyes as the carriage slowed to a halt.

He got out and paid the driver and then as the horses rode away and the sound of carriage wheels turning on cobbled streets faded off into the distance, he walked up to the gate of a tall Victorian mansion and paused for a moment, taking in another deep breath.

_This was the place he had heard about..._

Rebel pushed open the gate and walked up a path lined with roses, then stepped on to a porch and rang the bell.

The door was answered quickly by a maid.

"What can I do for you, sir?" she asked politely.

"My name is Rebel, I'm also known as the Doctor. I'm here to see Madam Anastasia Newell. I understand she provides a service I'm seeking."

"Come in," the maid replied, and led him into a hallway and then gestured to a seat.

"Please wait here."

Rebel sat down feeling tense as he considered his reasons for the visit.

He had endured much from the empathic receptor over the past three days, and had concluded the best way to alleviate it was to come here – Madame Newell had a reputation as a dominatrix, who was capable of giving out the kind of pain the mutation inside his head was craving...

Moments later a woman in a dark green satin dress stepped out into the hallway. Her red hair was piled high on her head and diamonds sparkled at her throat.

"You are Rebel?" she said, and he got up from his seat, feeling a mix of tension and excitement that was almost crippling as the receptor inside his head that craved pain seemed to scream out for it.

"Yes I am," he said politely, "And I am seeking your service."

A smile flickered about her ruby painted lips.

"Come with me," she told him, and then she led him down the hallway to a locked door.

She slid the key in the lock and gestured to him to enter first. He obeyed, and as he looked around the torture chamber, he caught his breath.

"Is this what you seek?"

She had closed the door and locked it.

"Yes, this is perfect," he replied in a hushed voice, "I will not be requiring sexual relief...just..."

Rebel paused as his gaze wandered to the whips and chains and paddles that lined the wall.

He knew he was breaking out into a sweat as he looked back at her.

"Just tell me your desire," she said.

He drew in a deep breath, indicating to something that had caught his eye.

"I'll only take off my shirt. It's better if I'm on my knees...I can hold on to chair...don't be gentle. I want you to thrash me..."

He paused again, still perspiring as he glanced to the item on the wall once more.

"_I need to be horse whipped, Madame Newell..."_

* * *

_F_ar off in the future, in Perivale, the Seventh Doctor was sitting by a window patiently waiting for Ace as he gave a sigh and wondered why women took so much time when they went shopping, because surely the point of shopping was go and buy specific items and then go home again...

He was starting to wish they had _not_ made a detour past some shops, especially not this one, a shop that sold prams and buggys and baby clothing...

Ace was over in a corner up to her knees searching through baby clothes.

"Aww...and this one is well cute!" she exclaimed, holding up a blue and green sleep suit," "What do you think, Professor?"

"What?" he had been leaning on the handle of his question mark umbrella, and he turned and looked at her.

"Oh yes, very nice..."

"But what did you think of the others I showed you?"

"Others?"

Around an hour ago the world had turned to a blur of baby clothing and now all memories blurred into one, the first one she had showed him, the yellow one...he had experience a similar shutting down of his thoughts one Christmas when he had taken her shopping for new shoes to go with a party dress.

"_Earth women!"_ he muttered.

"What did you say?" Ace asked him.

"I said the _first one_...that was my favourite."

Ace frowned.

"But I've already got that one..._and_ the same style in four other colours."

Then she put aside a handful of outfits and went over to the other side of the shop. It was lined with prams.

She smiled at the shop assistant.

"Can you tell me about this one – oh, and the blue one and the red stripy one too."

The Doctor gave a sigh and got up.

"I'm just going outside for a minute," he told her, and Ace nodded, and then she turned her attention back to the shop assistant as they began discussing prams.

* * *

The Doctor left the shop and stood outside, guessing it would be some time before they returned to the Tardis. Then as he waited he turned his attention back to the skies above as that odd feeling came over him again, like something was calling to him.

He fixed his gaze on the blue sky and took in a slow breath, trying to tune into what ever it was that was trying to reach out to him. It felt like past and present and future colliding, as if everything that had happened was...

He snapped his fingers.

"_A link in a chain!" _he exclaimed, and then he stood there focusing again on the sky.

He concentrated, listening and mentally reaching out, trying to grasp the thread of time that was calling to him.

_"What is this?"_ he whispered,_ "Me...and him...him and me, a link in a chain... leading to what?"_

Carla Bailey came to mind. He was thankful Ace couldn't read his mind, because knowing that woman was in his thoughts would have put that angry look back in her eyes, the look that reminded him she would _never_ forget...

It was reaching out to him again, and then he understood something:

_Carla Bailey had never given up, never stopped fighting for him when he had been infected with the toxin. It was relevant, but he wasn't sure why._

_There was no risk of the Master returning for many years, and the toxin was long gone from his body..._

_It wasn't about him._

_He knew it instantly, this was about Rebel._

_Their time lines had crossed for a purpose, and would cross again... _

_And that thought was still in his mind that Carla would never stop fighting for the Doctor._

_Not him, he was with Ace and happy to stay with her._

_It was about Rebel. Something terrible was going to happen, something so terrible that it would not be predicted, not stopped. It was out there on the flow of destiny as it travelled through space and time, to touch those concerned..._

The Doctor took in a sharp breath and blinked away tears, but wasn't quite sure why he felt like crying.

Then Ace came out of the shop carrying a bag of baby clothes.

"I can't decide on the pram yet," she said, "We can come back and have another look tomorrow – and there's a shop in town twice the size of this one that's got hundreds of prams. We'll have to take a look in there tomorrow."

They were walking away from the shop, heading for the end of the street, the Tardis was not far away now.

Ace was still happily talking about baby clothes and prams.

The Doctor wished he had the enthusiasm to join in, but his thoughts were still on all he had sensed that was about to come their way... He smiled and nodded as Ace continued to speak, barely listening as he thought again about all he had learned, and wondered what was going to happen that was so terrible it had made him want to weep...

* * *

In the Victorian house that hid a sordid secret, Rebel was on his knees as he clung tightly to the chair and the whip lashed across his back yet again, breaking skin. He gave a gasp of pain and slumped forward, his body and clothing soaked in sweat as blood ran down his back.

"Are you sure?" Madame Newell said, standing over him as she ran her fingers through his hair, "Are you absolutely certain you don't need some special attention somewhere else? You've been _such_ a good boy..."

But Rebel was in too much pain to think about anything but returning to the Tardis.

He was breathless and shaken as he struggled to stand.

"Thank you, but no," he said as the last of a bright blue shimmer left his eyes.

The pain receptor had swallowed up his agony and turned it into a high, but the high had only lasted so long and now the beating was over he felt sick with pain. He leaned heavily against a table as she washed the blood from his back and shoulders, and then she handed him his shirt.

"I shall summon you a cab," she said to him.

He forced a smile even though he was pale and sweating and the pain was making his head spin.

"Thank you, Madam Newell. You were certainly worth the money you charge!"

"It's always a pleasure to serve gentlemen with your kind of wealth, Rebel," she replied, and he put on his shirt, struggled to close the buttons and gave up half way, then put on his waist coat but left it open before struggling back into his long leather coat.

* * *

Moments later he left the house and a waiting carriage returned him to Whitechapel.

The journey was agony as every bump in the road shot needles of pain through his injured back. He kept his eyes shut for most of the journey, but the pain refused him the briefest refuge of sleep.

On arriving at his destination, he got out of the carriage and a wave of dizziness swept over him as pain washed through his body and took over completely.

He staggered up the blind alley, heading for the blue box he called home. As he got closer to the Tardis, he guessed this was one time when he couldn't hide the fact that he'd been up to no good, because that beating had been a little _too_ much, and he was pretty sure he was going to pass out...

He opened the Tardis door, staggered inside and made it as far as the console.

"Carla?" he called weakly, but got no reply.

And then he knew as his vision began to fade that he was _definitely_ going to pass out, and he slid to the floor as the world rapidly turned to black and he lost consciousness...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Carla Bailey was working in her lab.

The Tardis had provided her with everything she needed, including a bed and a reclining chair, both useful for running tests on Rebel as she continued to research a way to control his empathic receptor.

As she heard a tap on the door she looked up from a computer screen.

"Yes, Riley?"

"Rebel's been gone a long time. I'm not sure where he is."

"When did you last see him?"

"After we got rid of the creature. He jumped into a cab, I don't know where he was going. I came straight back here."

Carla switched off the screen and got up, as she stepped away from her desk Riley noticed she looked very fetching in her dark blue Victorian gown, but didn't bother to pay her a compliment, figuring that ought to be down to Rebel...

"Riley, why didn't you say something before?"

He shrugged.

"I went through to the kitchen, had something to eat, then I had a nap for half an hour..."

"What is it with you and food and sleeping?" she complained, "I _told _you not l to let him wander off!"

And she left the lab, joining him in the corridor.

"We'll have to go out and look for him."

"But he got into a carriage, Carla! He could be anywhere!"

She thought about it.

"Maybe not...where is he likely to go?"

He thought about it.

"Well, let me see... the entity has been banished, he's just saved world... So if he's not in a pub having a few beers and getting completely pissed up, I'd say it's a toss up between the local opium den or the nearest brothel..."

She stared at him in disbelief.

"Oh no," she said in alarm, "We definitely have to find him!"

And she began to walk off down the corridor towards the console room.

"You know what he's like, Carla," he called out as he hurried to join her, "He just wants to absorb an nice old time England experience..."

"Like catching an old time STI like syphilis?" she yelled back, "Not if _I_ have anything to do with it!" And then she turned the corner, hurrying towards the console room.

Riley recalled his earlier conversation with Rebel and laughed.

"_I think your balls are already in that jar, mate..."_ he said, and then he hurried on to catch up with Carla.

* * *

As Carla entered the console room she caught her breath, eyes wide at the sight of Rebel sprawled on the floor unconscious.

She fell to her knees and checked his airway, then turned him on his side.

"_RILEY!" _she yelled, and he ran into the console room.

"What?" he asked, and then he saw Rebel on the floor.

"What's happened?"

He stood over him anxiously as Carla examined the unconscious Time Lord.

She took his pulse, unbuttoned his shirt, placed her hands on his chest and felt the beating of his twin hearts.

"Rebel?" she said, but he gave no response.

Then she sniffed his clothing and looked up at Riley.

"It's not an overdose...well, its certainly not blue, he doesn't smell like volcanic rock..."

Then her eyes hardened as she glared at him.

"_You_ saw him last. Has he taken anything, Riley?"

"Why would I know -"

"_HAS HE TAKEN ANYTHING?"_

Now Carla looked scared.

"Please," she begged him, "Tell me, his _life_ could depend on it!"

Riley shook his head.

"I swear, Carla – he was fine last time I saw him. He said he had some private business to deal with and he went off in a carriage..." he paused, staring at the creeping scarlet stain that was leaking from beneath him.

"_He's bleeding!"_

Carla wasted no time.

"Help me get him to the lab!" she said urgently.

Moments later Rebel was on the bed in the lab and his coat was off, then his waist coat, with every item of clothing she removed, Carla seemed to find the next one soaked with even more blood than the last.

"What the hell?" she said in shocked voice as Rebel lay on his side and she ran her hand cautiously down the back of his blood soaked shirt.

"I can't move him," she said, "I don't know how bad it is."

And she brought over a trolley of instruments, grabbed a pair of scissors and began to cut away his shirt. As she removed the material and exposed his back, she looked down at the welts and deep slashes and swollen bruising that covered his body and put her hand to her mouth as she drew in a breath and tried to hold back from crying.

"Oh God..." she said in a hushed voice, "What's happened to him?"

"Well it doesn't look like an accident," Riley said, "So work it out. Those are _deliberate_ wounds, most likely left by some kind of a whip. That is the kind of stuff that is consensual, those wounds on his back...he's been for a _session_, I think...a pretty intense one by the look of it..."

Then he fell silent, noticing tears in Carla's eyes.

"He _paid_ for this?" she exclaimed in horror.

"I was trying to be tactful about it," Riley said, "But I've just remembered I'm not very good at that...yes, I'd say he _did_ pay for it. You know what he's like, that empathic receptor seeks it out. He needed some serious pain. Looks like he got it...is he going to be okay?"

She wiped her eyes and nodded.

"His vital signs are all steady, I'd say he passed out due to the pain... I'll start cleaning him up. I think I can glue most of the wounds, there's one that needs stitching, I'll do that now while he's still out."

And as she shifted the trolley closer and then started to clean the blood from his back, she spoke again.

"That empathic receptor is dangerous. It's a mutation and its enlarging. That's why he's getting more extreme for seeking out pain. It's going to kill him in the end, one way or another, unless I can find a way to fix it."

"He told me you said that. I don't think he believes it."

"That's because he takes drugs to mask it, to block it off. But it doesn't stop it coming back. I'm working on a cybernetic implant that can turn the receptor down, but it's not ready yet..."

She threaded a surgical needle and Riley felt sick.

"But he's okay, I mean, okay for now? And I'm okay to leave the room?"

"_I didn't say you had to stay."_

Her reply had been hushed.

"I know that, but I'm his best mate and I worry -"

He drew in a sharp breath as the needle punctured flesh.

"I'll be outside," he said quickly, and left the lab.

* * *

A short while later the worst of the wounds had been stitched and dressed and the rest glued and covered with gauze and surgical tape.

Rebel was still on his side as he gave a faint groan and slowly opened his eyes. Pain throbbed through his body and he felt weak. His vision came into sharp focus and he saw he was on a bed in Carla's lab. He thought back and recalled the world turning black as he entered the Tardis.

"_I hope I didn't hit my head on the console again."_

"No," Carla said quietly, "You collapsed because of the pain. I take it this was a professional beating?"

He gave a weary sigh.

"Well... there was this whip, and I liked the look of it...sorry."

Pain registered on his face as he cautiously turned on to his back, but Carla was leaning over him with no trace of sympathy in her eyes.

"_How many times have I told you not to give in to these urges? You'll kill yourself at this rate! Do you really want to do that? Do you want to put me through -"_ She broke off from her lecture, her words dissolving into tears.

"Don't cry over this," Rebel took hold of her hand as she wiped her eyes, "I'll be fine. A long sleep will help me to use my own abilities to repair some of the damage."

"But not _all_ of it! You're too weak to achieve that! It's bad enough you take the blue mist to shut down the receptor – now you're _feeding_ it? I told you that thing inside your head is a mutation – it's _not_ a part of normal Time Lord biology! And it's getting bigger. I have to find a way to control it or eventually, it could kill you!"

He gave a sigh.

"I do see your point of view Carla, but I also see it as a consequence of a difficult regeneration. It's just a part of a slightly different kind of body. I'm not afraid of it."

She looked into his eyes.

"You're not afraid? Because it guides you towards pain and suffering, because it drives you to indulge in sado masochism?"

"This isn't the first time I've been injured during something I've paid for!"

"Injured to the point you collapsed and needed medical attention?"

Her question had caught him out.

"No," he admitted, "This is a first."

"Well don't let this happen again," she said quietly, "Because I – because it's not a good idea."

And then she drew her hand away from his grip.

"You get some rest," she told him, "Try and get some sleep, you need it."

And then she left the room and Rebel lay still, making no attempt to move as pain throbbed and reminded him just how far he had gone – too far this time, and he wasn't sure why, but he felt as if he owed Carla an apology...

* * *

"Is he okay?"

Carla walked back towards the console room, and even though she gave no reply, Riley hurried after her.

"Oi, I'm talking to you!"

She stopped and turned back. He saw her eyes were red and glassy and one look at her told him all he needed to know – she was heartbroken to think Rebel had put himself through so much pain.

"I asked you a question, is he okay?"

"Yes, he will be fine, he just needs to rest. And then I'm going to have a serious talk with him -"

"_Get off his case."_

She blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, get off his case! You should know what he's like by now, stop trying to change him!"

She gave a weary sigh.

"I'm trying to _protect _him! His empathic receptor is abnormal, it shouldn't be there! And it's proving dangerous because he's seeking out more and more physical pain. It's separate to the rest of his body, it's a mutation that's getting stronger -"

"Yeah yeah, whatever... my best mate is a mutant. So what? I make him right – it's part of his regeneration, it's how he turned out. He's not scared of it, so why should _you_ worry about it so much?"

Riley's words had angered her more than he knew.

"First of all," she said, struggling to resist the urge to yell at him, "I understand the nature of the empathic receptor much more than you do, I've been studying it! And I'm _not_ trying to change him I'm trying to help him, to protect him -"

"From himself? He's a big boy, Carla. He can cope. You'll put him off if you keep on like you are."

Her face started to flush.

"I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do. You care about him and he likes you too. But don't push it, know what I'm saying? You can't change him. Even if you made a cybernetic implant that could control the receptor, it won't change who he is. He's still going to be the man he's been since he regenerated. He'll still be Rebel, still do all the stuff he does now. If you can't accept that you should look elsewhere."

"Look for what?" she asked as her blush deepened.

Riley shook his head.

"And I thought I was meant to be the stupid one around here! You're a smart girl, Carla. But you need to open your eyes. You can't change him, that's all I'm saying. He's my best mate, I just want him to be happy."

"So do I," she said quietly.

"Well that's good, you want him to be happy too... I'm glad you get what I'm on about. I'll see you later, Carla. I need some air."

Then Riley walked away, leaving her in the corridor as she thought on all he had said.

_And then the thought hit her that Rebel had obviously talked to Riley about his feelings for her..._

"Riley!" she called out, "Wait up, I'm coming with you!"

* * *

Rebel sat up cautiously and found the worst of the pain had eased off. He wasn't sure if it was because the deepest of the wounds had been closed, or if his own healing abilities had healed the worst of his injuries.

He felt exhausted as he stood up and walked to the door of the lab.

_And then he heard the sound of a door closing somewhere deep in the Tardis._

"Riley?"

There was no response.

"Carla?"

Once again he was met with silence.

He looked left and right, saw no one and began to walk towards the console room. His head was down as he walked along the smooth floor, thinking about Carla's reaction to his injuries. She had cried over him, and he felt guilty even though he saw no reason to feel guilty about his actions...

And then he heard another sound:

_High heels walking briskly across the corridor..._

He looked up sharply, his eyes wide as he saw a shapely woman in a short black dress walk into the console room.

Rebel caught his breath as a chill passed through his body:

_Someone was in the Tardis..._

"Who's there?" he called out, but heard no reply.

He quickened his pace despite his exhaustion, feeling stitches pull and a sting of pain as sweat ran down his exposed back.

Buy the time he reached the console room he was shivering, and it was nothing to do with the fact that he was shirtless – the Tardis was warm, but at this moment it seemed as if the whole place had a chill sweep through it.

He entered the console room and stood there staring at the woman who had her back to him as she leaned against the console.

He knew the curve of her hips, the way she stood in heels impossibly high, the way her raven hair shimmered under the lights... He drew in a slow breath, reminding himself it had to be another hallucination, he often hallucinated when he had taken blue mist...

A_nd then he remembered he hadn't taken any blue mist. He hadn't even had a drink for almost a week. He was stone cold sober, and yet she was standing there..._

He was afraid to speak her name, but said it in a hushed voice:

"Bella?"

And she turned around and he gave a gasp, staring at her in shock and disbelief:

_It was her. It was his dead wife._

She smiled, bright green eyes sparkling as she blinked impossibly long lashes and her dark lipstick shone glossy in the glow of the console room.

"_Hello lover,_" she said sweetly, _"I've missed you..."_

* * *

Far in the future in Perivale, Ace woke up in the Tardis, in the bedroom she shared with the Doctor. He was stroking her hair and then he placed a soft kiss on her shoulder and she smiled as he shifted closer to her, sliding his arm around her as she lay on her side with her back to him, and then his hand rested on their unborn child.

"Sometimes I think about everything we've been through, all the battles we've faced - and I'm so thankful I still have you with me. I'm even more thankful to know you're my wife. I know you're awake. Are you listening?"

"Of course I am," she replied, "I was thinking too. I'm sorry I don't let go of things."

The Doctor ran his fingers through her hair and wished she would turn around so he could see the look in her eyes and know for sure he would see no trace of lingering anger.

"I know what you're talking about but I wouldn't dare say the name while we're in bed."

To his surprise Ace laughed softly.

"Don't be silly, Professor!"

And she turned around, shifting about awkwardly as the weight of the baby made her feel slow and heavy. As she settled down facing him she smiled.

"I know you love me."

"Yes, I do. And I wish you could forget what I did."

Ace leaned closer and kissed him.

"You know I can't do that. But you _are_ forgiven."

"That's good to know."

The Doctor turned on his back and drew in a deep breath. It was still out there, he could feel it, like something was coming closer and soon he would _not _be able to ignore it...

"Ace, I want to ask you about something."

As she saw the serious look in his eyes she guessed he was having another one of those moments when he thought about past mistakes and regretted it all over again. Which to Ace, wasn't such a bad thing considering he had been unfaithful and she wanted to be sure he never did it again...

She giggled.

"No, when the baby is born we are _not _asking Carla to be godmother!"

The Doctor's gaze darkened.

"That's not funny!"

"It is to me. And it was a joke! What's wrong with you, Professor? You've been acting weird since yesterday...like you've got something on your mind. I don't get it, what's to worry about?"

As he looked into her eyes he gave a deep sigh and knew in a single beat of his twin hearts that he could _not_ keep the secret from Ace any longer, even though he was yet to find out exactly what that secret was...

"_Ace..."_

He paused, feeling sorry that the few brief months they had spent trouble-free were about to end at this moment, because he had caught the look in her eyes already, she knew by the tone of his voice that something was wrong...

"What''s this about, Professor?" she said in a hushed voice, "What could possibly go wrong for us now?"

"Not us," he promised her, "It's not about you and me. I don't know what it is...I can feel it, like something is about to happen to one of my other selves."

Ace thought about it.

"Maybe you're just tuning into something heavy, like a past regeneration, perhaps its one of those weird moments when time -"

"Yes, it _is_ about time. It's also about my link to another lifetime, a _close_ link."

Ace felt a creeping sense of unease as she thought about his other selves. The only one he had been close to, the one who had healed him and made their pregnancy possible was...

"Rebel?" she asked, "You think he's in trouble?"

"He's not in trouble yet but I think he will be. I feel he's in some kind of danger. And you're going to hate this part, but just believe me when I say Carla is the _only _one who can help him. Everything happens for a reason, Ace. There is much more to me saving her from the explosion on the Cassandra-Aurora. I was saving myself in more ways than one but I can't make sense of that yet. _And I'm holding nothing back from you. This is me telling you everything I know._"

As she looked into his eyes she knew he was being honest, she could almost see past his gaze and deep into his Time Lord soul and at that moment his gaze was almost too much to bear – he had, for a moment, let all barriers down showing her there was nothing to hide, no secrets lurking deep inside him...

Then he blinked and the moment was gone, and Ace was thankful his gaze had lost the almost unbearable level of intensity that went far beyond anything earthly.

"We need to lay the negative side of the past to rest," he told her, "Because if that man is in trouble I will be there for him. I need you to know that, because our child wouldn't be possible without his healing abilities. He's a good man but not without his problems and there's something..he's going to make a huge mistake if I don't stop him. Maybe I can't stop him, maybe I've got this all wrong – I just know something terrible is going to happen and he needs my help."

Ace gave a sigh.

"I hope you are wrong. You said everything would be different now!"

"And it will be! But I can't turn away from him."

Ace saw deep sincerity in his eyes and knew better than to throw the past and Carla back in his face now.

"If he does need your help, I'll be there too," she promised, and she put her arms around him and held him tightly.

And then the Doctor felt the baby move and suddenly her words chilled him:

_There was no chance of him letting Ace join him if he did need to find his other self again, because he knew something was coming, and he would have to keep her and the baby far away from it - because even though he didn't know what he was about to face, he did know it was dark and cold as death itself, because he could feel it..._

* * *

Rebel stood in the console room of his Tardis and stared in shock at the sight of Bella as she walked towards him. She looked solid, he could even smell her perfume and there was nothing remotely ghostly about her. She was wearing a dress he bought her for her birthday. _She was real..._

"This is _not_ possible..." he said in a hushed voice as she approached him.

Then he tuned into his empathic receptor, feeling certain it would reveal the truth of the matter:

_And every moment he had ever shared with Bella came flooding back, her kiss, her touch, the love they had shared, the birth of their two children - and then as tears blurred his eyes he saw her swallowed up by flame, he felt her agony as she died while a planet burned..._

He gave a gasp and blinked away tears as he shook his head.

"No, you're dead...you can't be here..."

She was standing in front of him, jet black hair glossy and her eyes sparkling with life that seemed to cancel out the possibility that she was dead – she looked so alive that her death now seemed impossible...

"Yes I am dead," she agreed, "And it's _not_ your fault."

Tears ran down down his face and he felt as if his hearts had shattered all over again.

"I searched for you," he whispered, "And you were gone. You and the children...I died too, I burned up – but I regenerated."

She looked him up and down, noticing his shirt was off and her gaze lingered on the lettering tattooed across his chest.

"Rebel," she said, and then she smiled.

"You certainly have changed. You are nothing like the man I called Doctor. You look like a stranger to me – but I _know _you're still the man I loved."

And he reached out to touch her but she stepped back and placed her hand on a screen on the console.

"What are you doing?" he said, still feeling as if he was witnessing the impossible.

She looked down at the screen and it began to scroll, then it flashed as images came and went.

"What are you doing?"

"Showing you the way."

She took her hand off the screen and looked up from the console.

"_I've given you a star map. You need to follow it."_

He was still looking at her intently.

"Why?"

"Because it leads to us."

"Us?"

"Me and the children. It's a world where life continues after death. We miss you. We want you to join us."

He gave a sob as more tears ran down his face.

"No, this can't be true..."

She looked into his eyes.

"Your regeneration went wrong," she said softly, "There is a mutation inside you that will ultimately destroy you. But there's nothing to be afraid of. There is no death, lover. Trust me and face it with courage."

His face paled as he stared at her.

Then he looked down at the star map illuminated on the Tardis computer screen, it showed an area of deep and distant space, dark space that seemed empty.

"Trust me," she said again, and he looked up from the screen, into the eyes of his wife as his twin hearts raced with fear.

"There's nothing out there, its a void!"

"_The planet is unseen to the living,"_ she replied, _"Only the dead can see Stellar Eternus."_

He looked back at the screen that showed a map of dark, empty space.

"No," he told her again, "This can't be true, it's impossible!"

She stepped closer and he felt the warmth of her presence as the scent of her perfume surrounded him.

"I miss you," she said, "And so do the children. It's not long until you join us. We're all waiting for you."

And he wanted to reach out again and try to touch her, but she stepped back.

"_Trust me, lover," _she said softly, _"There's nothing to fear. I'm here for you."_

And he looked back at Bella, who remained standing at the console, refusing to fade out like he hoped she would – she just stood there smiling as he looked down at the screen and tried but failed to see any trace of a planet deep in dark, empty space...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"How can I travel to a planet I can't see?" Rebel said in a hushed voice.

Bella gave no reply.

He looked up sharply from the star map.

_She was gone._

His hearts were racing and he was breaking out in a cold sweat, by the time he reached the corridor he was shaking and he dragged the key from his pocket and aimed for the lock once and missed, tried again and then turned the key and pushed open the door to his private lab. As he walked in he looked nervously around the room, and then over his shoulder, but saw no more of his dead wife.

"_Enough!" _he whispered in a shaken voice, and turned to a vacuum flask that contained a small amount of powdered volcanic rock:

_His hands shook as he grabbed a matchbox and struck a match._

_Flame hit powder with a sharp crackle. _

_He closed the flask as it filled with dark blue smoke. _

_Rebel waited, watching for the turquoise mist to rise. _

_As it formed he attached a vial, hit a button. _

_Then he grabbed the glass tube and snapped it shut._

_His breathing was unsteady and his hand shook and he watched the mist swirl. _

_It started to glow._

_It was done..._

He tore off the lid, drew it up to his nostrils and took in a deep breath:

The world turned a shade of blue and then gently lifted out his fear as all trace of worry shifted back to a bearable level and the physical pain in his back melted away.

Then he dropped the vial on the floor and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes as he recovered his breathing.

"_She's not real...she's not here..."_

He opened his eyes.

_There was no trace of Bella._

He breathed a relieved sigh and then slid down the wall, sitting on the floor as he fixed his gaze towards the open door, waiting to catch a glimpse of his dead wife again, but the corridor remained empty as the Tardis hummed quietly as usual...

* * *

As they walked through the busy streets of Whitechapel, Riley glanced at Carla.

"So what did you want? You said you wanted to come with me, I just wanted to go for a walk, ideally to get away from _you_ – well, not to get away, just to get away from what we talked about -"

"_I just want to know what he said about me."_

Riley stopped walking and so did Carla, the only two people standing still amid the bustle of the Victorian East End.

"Well not much, really. I just said I thought the two of you get along well and he should, you know..._think about it_."

"You did what?"

She was blushing, and looked angry too - and Riley was confused as to why she was doing _both_ at the same time.

"Did I do the wrong thing? I thought you liked him big time."

"I do! I mean...I like him a lot but I'm not sure you should tell him that. He might not be over his wife -"

"You're forgetting his wife was _my_ sister! I should remember that more than anyone, I lost my sister and my niece and nephew when the solar shields failed! I was trying to do you both a favour when I talked to him about you!"

Carla looked at him apologetically.

"I know all that and I'm sorry, I just didn't expect you to say something like that to him...Does he feel the same as me? Do you really think so?"

"I hope so," Riley replied, "He's been on his own long enough. He needs someone who can look after him, I know he regenerated after the planet burned up, but that's _not_ what I mean when I say he's a different man – he's different in every way to the bloke I used to know. He's lonely, he's messed up – I think his life would be a lot easier if he had someone like you with him."

She had truly had enough of holding back, and as she blinked away tears she nodded.

"That's exactly how I feel. I get so scared for him sometimes."

And as Riley and Carla looked at each other, all trace of hostility faded.

"Well that's something we both agree on," Riley said.

And then he checked his watch.

"Listen, I've got to get back to the Tardis, I've left something in my room and -"

Riley staggered forward as a woman pushed past him. She ran up the street yelling _Stop Thief!_ as a boy in ragged clothing darted up an alley with something in his closed hand.

"Oi!" Riley yelled, and gave chase.

Carla gave a weary sigh and then turned and ran to catch up with him.

* * *

"_Come back you thieving little sod!" _Riley shouted, and his voice echoed down the alleyway.

The boy looked back, then jumped up and over a high fence making a clean escape as something silver slipped from his grip and hit the cobblestones.

And as Carla caught up with Riley and he leaned over to pick up the object the boy had dropped, a gloved female hand also reached for it but drew back quickly as he got there first.

"That's mine..."

He looked at the young woman with fair hair and dark eyes who stood there in a pale blue dress, her face flushed as she recovered from the chase.

"Of course," Riley said, "I'm just sorry I couldn't catch the thief. Here's your -"

"_Short range laser scalpel? I thought this kind of crap was banned?"_

The object had been snatched from his grasp by Carla, who stared at the long, narrow device and then looked sharply at the young woman.

"No, " she said, reading the look in her eyes correctly, "We're not from this time either. Who are you and what are you doing in 1888 with equipment that was banned in 2350 by the Intergalactic Medical Board of Safety Control?"

The woman answered right away.

"My name is Annika Tyrell. I'm from the year 2336 and I'm part of the Compassionate Travellers Mission. I hold all the necessary qualifications in medicine and I'm here to -"

"_Use future technology to improve the lives of the general population, adding some future technological help here and there, advancing medicine and surgical techniques and saving lives, yes I've heard all about it. Your people were pioneers who used time travel in a responsible manner - but a few years from now the whole project will be scrapped because your techniques were not safe enough – good intentions and poor equipment."_

And Annika stared at her.

"I believe I'm doing some good!"

"I'm sure you are, but I don't approve of the project because your equipment isn't up to spec – _especially _short range laser scalpels -"

"Hey, don't knock the girl, it sounds like she_ is _doing some good here."

Carla gave a sigh and turned to Riley.

"Haven't you listened to a word I just said?"

"Yes, but I still think she's doing a good job. I mean, look around. This is the East End of Victorian London. How many of these people can afford proper medical care?"

"_Can I have my scalpel back?"_

Carla turned back to Annika.

"No," she said, "I'll take a look in the Tardis and see if I can find some spare equipment for you – anything is better than the junk you're currently using. Where are you staying?"

"Thirteen Walton Square."

Carla nodded.

"I'll be over to see you tomorrow."

"Thank you," Annika replied.

"No problem," Carla said, and as Annika quickly walked away, Riley spoke up again.

"You should give that laser thing -"

"This dangerous, banned piece of equipment, back to her? _No._ I've no doubt she's got more of these scalpels, but I'd never have allowed the use of something like this when I ran the Cassandra-Aurora."

"She's not from your time. And she's got good intentions."

"All the same, I can't condone the use of a short range laser scalpel -"

"Well I'd love to debate this issue with you but I have to get back to the Tardis."

He checked his watch again and as as he turned away and Carla caught the sleeve of his jacket, he saw a flicker of suspicion in her eyes, and she read guilt in his.

"What's going on, Riley?"

"Nothing...I just need to get back to my room..."

And he walked off.

She ran to catch up with him again.

"What's going on?" she demanded for a second time, but Riley kept walking and quickened his pace.

"Nothing," he told her, "I just need to get back to the Tardis..."

* * *

Rebel had got up from the floor, left the room and locked his private lab. As he looked up and down the empty corridor, he was sure he had never felt so uneasy in his own Tardis, but the haze that had lifted out the worst of his fears had settled him into a state that was easier to bear.

He went into his bedroom and opened up the dark wardrobe and took out a black shirt and put it on easily, enjoying the fact that he was too numb to feel the pain from his wounds.

Then he ran his hand across a selection of waistcoats and chose a combination of black silk and velvet with brass buttons. He put it on and closed it up with ease and then took out a long leather coat from the wardrobe.

Then he went over to the mirror and looked at his reflection:

He was pale and sweating and he guessed he stank of burnt volcanic rock, but the empathic receptor had gone quiet, and now he felt like he could take on the world.

_Then he saw her standing behind him._

He turned sharply and stared at Bella.

"How can you be a ghost if I can see you in the mirror?"

She smiled, and then she walked across the room towards him and as her sips swayed and her dress emphasised her tiny waist and her perfect hips he ached for the past.

"Who says I can't have a reflection?"

"I need you to _stop_ doing this!"

Her eyes widened.

"Doing what?"

"Appearing. You're supposed to be dead!"

"I am dead. But I'm here for you, lover. I came back to wait for you."

He felt a chill run through his blood.

"Stop it!"

"_You can't fight destiny."_

He had reached the door, but he turned back on hearing those words.

"I can bloody well try!" he said sharply, "I suffered every shade of hell when you and the kids died – how do you think I feel now, seeing you like this?"

"Like I'm still alive?"

He looked away from her.

"_But I know you're dead,_" he said quietly, _"And the dead are supposed to stay dead."_

And he left the room and closed the door behind him and walked quickly towards the console room.

As he heard the sound of Riley and Carla's raised voices, he felt thankful not to be alone any more with what ever Bella truly was – a ghost or a symptom of insanity, or both...

* * *

As Rebel walked into the console room Carla was glaring accusingly at Riley.

"I asked you a simple question – what is going on, Riley? I _know_ you're hiding something!"

Riley looked very guilty about something, but then his expression changed as he turned to Rebel.

"Are you okay?"

Carla took one look at Rebel and her anger raised a notch.

"Is this what I get for not giving you any pain relief?"

"What?" Rebel had cast a nervous glance around the console room checking to be sure his dead wife had not reappeared, and then looked back at Carla, and his pupils were like pinpricks.

"You didn't have to take a turquoise bomb!" she said to him, "Haven't you had enough thrills for one day?"

Rebel was still looking around the room.

"She's not here now..."

"Rebel?"

He was still fixing his gaze across the console.

"No...not here..."

"_Rebel!"_

As she yelled his name he turned his head and looked at her.

"What?"

"Who isn't here? What are you rambling about?"

He was breaking out into a light sweat as he ran his fingers through his hair and took in a deep breath, trying to force concentration.

"I...I thought I saw Bella. I saw my wife. She spoke to me."

He was looking at her with wide, frightened eyes.

"I _saw_ her!"

Carla gave a weary sigh.

"You stink like you've just taken a T bomb. _You're high!_"

"No...I wasn't when I saw her...I haven't taken enough to hallucinate, _look_ at me."

"I am. And you _are_ high, Rebel - I can tell by your eyes!"

"That is because I took it less than an hour ago!"

She shook her head.

"Go and sleep it off. I'm sure you won't be seeing ghosts when you wake up."

"You don't believe me?"

He turned to the console and opened up a compartment, jabbed a needle into his finger and squeezed a drop of blood on to a slide and then handed it to Riley.

"You're the toxicology expert – _analyse it!_"

And as Riley set about running the sample through a device on the console, Rebel shot another glance to Carla.

"You wait for it...you'll see the truth!"

The analysis was complete and a printout was released from the console.

Riley tore it off and looked through the results, then he read it again and looked up from the test results.

"According to this, your previous toxin level was 175%, that's bloody high. That's high enough to be getting seriously weird hallucinations. But this results is much better. Well done, mate – you really are cutting it down. Your blood is clean apart from 40% toxin consisting of blue volcanic rock – _trace_ – meaning, you took a _very_ small amount. Certainly not enough to make you hallucinate."

"Thank you," Rebel said gratefully, and as he turned back to Carla she looked at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I just assumed -"

"Well you were wrong! And I _did_ see her, she was here in the console room, she spoke to me..."

He recalled something and snapped his fingers and raced over to the console and looked down at the screen.

"She put this into the system! It's a star map..."

Carla and Riley looked down at the screen and then exchanged a puzzled glance.

"Rebel," Riley said gently, "It leads no where. Look, there's just a void."

Confusion clouded his eyes as he looked back at Carla and Riley.

"But I _saw_ her..and how did this get here? How could a new star map appear?"

"It could be a glitch in the system," Carla told him, "And you were in so much pain today that you collapsed. That could have contributed to the experience you had. It's possible you were delirious for a brief time and -"

"Carla, I _saw_ her!" As he spoke he thumped his fist on the console, "Why won't you believe me?"

She looked at him kindly, and her expression of sympathy only served to frustrate him even more.

"Why don't you go back to bed and get some proper rest?" she said gently, "When you're recovered, I'll take another look at you – I'll scan the empathic receptor again. There's a possibility it might have contributed towards what you saw, remember it _is_ an abnormality -"

"_I know what I saw, Carla!"_

Riley was backing away from the console as they quarrelled.

"I'd better go...I've got something to do..."

And Rebel and Carla fell silent and looked at him.

"What?" Carla said, spotting that guilty look in his eyes again, "What's going on? You wouldn't tell me before – tell me now, in front of the Doctor..."

And Rebel's thoughts shifted from the disagreement over his wife's ghost and he looked hard at Riley. He had also spotted the guilty look in his eyes, and it worried him greatly...

"What have you done?" he said darkly.

Riley's eyes widened.

"Well it's nothing bad...I just didn't say anything because..."

He fell silent, searching desperately for an excuse and finding none.

"Because of what?" Rebel demanded, leaning on the console as he glared at him.

Riley drew in a deep breath.

"You know when you asked me to follow Jack the Ripper, after he left Miller's Court..."

Impatience flashed in Rebel's eyes.

"Yes, I recall it well – that was how we were able to track down the entity's hiding place. What about it?"

Riley swallowed hard.

"I did what you said that night, but you know I left early... to be sure I could find a hiding place?"

"Yes, I remember. _What have you done?_"

Riley took in another deep breath.

"I'm sorry, mate. I went to the house. She was on her way out, she screamed, she thought I was the Ripper, what with half of London living in fear...so I told her the truth..."

Rebel stared at him in disbelief.

"You told her?" he said in a hushed voice.

Riley nodded.

"She was a nice girl. I felt sorry for her -"

"_You didn't... Please, tell me you didn't!" _Rebel thundered.

And his best friend cringed, hating to see him so worked up as much as he hated being yelled at.

"We waited for the Ripper to show up...we hid outside -"

Rebel's eyes were blazing with fury now.

"_We?"_

"Me and Mary..."

"Mary who?" Rebel demanded.

"_Kelly... I saved Mary Kelly...I brought her back here, I wanted to look after her for a while. She's been staying in my room -"_

Rebel stepped away from the console as his eyes blazed like blue fire.

"You _saved _her?"

Riley shrugged.

"Yes, what of it?" And then he smiled, "I said, _Come with me if you want to live!_"

Rebel's face turned scarlet as rage blazed in his eyes.

"_What about HISTORY?"_ he shouted, _"What about the canonical five, the murders linked to the single killer? You can't change history like that, the Ripper had five victims, not four!"_

Carla frowned.

"I thought it was possibly eleven?"

He took in a deep breath and as he replied his anger began to simmer down.

"The rest were not connected... We were dealing with a flesh eating entity, which was consistent with the killings...a shapeless mass was passing the planet and decided on a few snacks. That's why with each murder the mutilations grew progressively worse. It was treating the human victims like the planet was a giant buffet table and it wanted to find out which parts tasted best. It sees human life as food!"

And then he looked back at Riley.

"_You shouldn't have meddled with history. That's potentially dangerous!"_

"I'm sorry!" Riley said, "But I couldn't leave her to die such a horrible death!"

"_Excuse me, but I think it's time I met this Doctor friend of yours..."_

They all turned on hearing a softly spoken voice that carried the hint of an Irish accent.

Carla stared at the young woman who stood in the doorway that led to the corridor – she looked young, her face was pretty and long chestnut hair tumbled to her shoulders, and she turned cautiously to the man whose fine clothes were all black save for the brass buttons on his waist coat.

"Are you the Doctor, sir? The one they call Rebel?"

He gave a sigh.

"Yes I am. And_ you_ should be dead!"

He caught a flash of fear in her eyes and instantly regretted speaking so sharply.

"I'm sorry, Miss Kelly. It's been a difficult day..."

And he shot Riley another angry glance.

"_You _saved her. She's _your _responsibility. Put her in a spare room here in the Tardis and I'll have to think about what to do with her. She can't stay here, she was significant in an historical event that you've altered! I want her out of this time and place..."

"What do you mean?" Mary asked him.

"I mean," Rebel said carefully, "You were destined to die. But you didn't. I'd be very concerned about leaving you here after such a great alteration to the time line. I think it would be better if you went elsewhere and let the Mary of 1888 disappear to the eyes of the world."

"Is that your way of salvaging the time line?" Carla asked.

Mary turned to Riley with confusion in her eyes.

"I don't understand -"

"It's okay," Riley said to her, "I'll show you to a room of your own. The Tardis has lots of rooms. Come with me..."

* * *

And as Riley led her from the console room, Rebel gave another weary sigh and turned to Carla.

"I knew I should have waited for the Ripper myself! I never should have sent Riley, he's too -"

"Kind?" she offered.

"Soft!" he told her as he thought of the time line once again and shook his head.

"Oh well, I suppose it's not so bad...we banished the entity, the Ripper killings will still go down in history as history intended, except there are now four victims instead of five..."

"That's got to be a good thing."

"No," he said, "Positive changes came about because of the Ripper killings – better street lighting, better policing on the streets.. But I don't suppose one less victim will alter that outcome. I sincerely hope it doesn't..."

Carla reached out and put her hand on the shoulder of his jacket as she looked into his eyes.

"You've been through a lot of stress. You need to go and rest. Please promise me you will, and I'll see you in the lab tomorrow morning, I have to keep an eye on your empathic receptor. I think it's possibly to blame for your hallucinations, which could mean we need to think about speeding up the development of a cybernetic implant."

Then she saw a flicker of apprehension in his eyes, but it was fleeting.

"You'll have to prove it to me before I consider anything so drastic. I'm not concerned about the receptor – it came about because of my regeneration, I've never had one harm me yet."

"But this _is_ a mutation," she reminded him.

He laughed nervously.

"It's part of me, Carla. I don't believe it could be dangerous."

"Well I need to take a look at you tomorrow. And make sure you meet me in the lab – I have to go back out there tomorrow, back through the streets of Victorian London. We met a woman from a future based charitable society who has set up a medical practise here."

Surprise registered in his eyes.

"A time traveller?"

"And she's using equipment that was banned in my era – stuff like this," And she drew the laser scalpel out of her pocket.

Rebel took it from her and looked at it with interest.

"Looks almost like a small sonic screwdriver."

"Well it's not. Its a short range laser scalpel and they were banned for a reason – they can misfire, cutting far deeper than the intended target. And the beam is micro fine so it could be days before a patient discovered the damage and realised they had deep internal bleeding. She shouldn't be using stuff like this. I said I'd sort out some spare tools of my own that she could use instead. I admire her reasons for wanting to go back into the past and help the less fortunate, but that help counts for little if she doesn't have the right equipment. I want her to save lives, not cut them short through ignorance."

Rebel looked into her eyes as his own expression softened and he smiled, briefly forgetting his own worries about Riley changing the time line and the empathic receptor that may or may not be slowly killing him one way or another.

"That's a very decent thing to do, Carla. I'm sure she will appreciate it."

And then he glanced back at the scalpel, thought for a moment and then looked at Carla.

"So this laser scalpel can cut micro fine incisions?"

"Yes, but it's highly controversial. And eventually made illegal. As I said, they can misfire and -"

His eyes sparkled as he spoke with enthusiasm:

"You know me, Carla. I'm not afraid of a bit of controversy...these laser scalpels must have had a success rate or they wouldn't have been on the market, surely?"

"Yes, they were successful," she admitted, "Until the mortality rate associated with their use was discovered."

He studied the laser for a moment, and then spoke again.

"So an instrument like this could be perfect for destroying part of my empathic receptor... and the scar would be minimal!_ I wonder if -_"

She snatched the laser scalpel from his hand.

"_No!"_ she told him firmly, "Don't even _think_ about it! If you had that receptor burned out with one of these devices there's a high risk it could misfire, meaning the laser would fire twice – it would be like taking your laser pistol and shooting yourself in the head with it! Forget I mentioned it, Rebel. I'ts _not_ an option."

And then she walked out of the console room.

Rebel glanced around nervously, hating to be alone in a place that had once felt like home as he waited for another glimpse of his dead wife, but there was no sign of Bella.

He thought on all Carla had said about the risks and concluded if the problem could be solved with a quick blast from a micro fine laser, it had to be better than major surgery to fit a cybernetic regulator...

It was then he made the decision to follow Carla when she took the medical supplies to the time traveller.

"_Maybe it is an option," _he said thoughtfully,_ "It could solve everything..."_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_There was a pram in the Seventh Doctor's Tardis._

As he stood in the console room looking at it, he smiled. There was no baby to go into it yet, but it wouldn't be long now...

Ace was sleeping. The trip to the shops had worn her out and he had left her to sleep while he stood alone in the console room listening to the hum of the blue box that had been his home for so many centuries.

Then his thoughts had wandered to the years to come – the lifetimes to come, and the regenerations that lie ahead.

It was settling and disturbing at the same time to think there would be other lifetimes spent in this Tardis, in other regenerations, years from now, when time had flown and Ace was gone and everything he cherished now would turn to dust.

The blessing and curse of being a Time Lord weighed heavy as he thought on all those things, but not too deeply...

_And then it hit him again, and suddenly he knew so much more:_

_Something was reaching out, something cold and dark and it stank of death and too much blood and he could almost hear screaming._

_But not like Rebel could hear it._

_He lived with it every day, the cries of those in pain and despair – and he had no way of turning it off. _

_No wonder the poor devil had turned to drugs..._

_It was his biggest mistake, the only available choice at the time to turn off the screams of suffering that echoed throughout the universe._

_But the blue volcanic rock powder that granted him temporary relief also killed his sense of fear and blurred his judgement – and decision making would play a part in it..._

The Doctor closed his eyes and drew in a deep, slow breath as he tuned in to the whispered tendril of time that reached out to him and time shifted for a split second as the ties that bound his lifetimes blurred. This was what he had been searching for, a link, a connection that would grant insight:

_Victorian London._

_Blood running over cobblestones._

_Newspaper headlines in old font stating Horrible Murder in Whitechapel..._

_A dark mass trapped in the twin stream of a burst from two sonic screwdrivers writhed as wide open mouths with sharp jaws doubled and trebled as the entity screeched, and then the trap fell dark._

_The face of Carla Bailey came sharply into focus._

"_like taking your laser pistol and shooting yourself in the head!" she said._

_And Rebel was looking thoughtfully at the device he held in his hand – a short range laser scalpel..._

_Then he saw a star map on the Fourteenth Doctor's console._

_A woman with glossy black hair and dark-painted lips placed a manicured finger on the screen, pointing to dark space._

"_Only the dead can see Stellar Eternus," she whispered._

The Seventh Doctor drew in a slow breath again, and the act of breathing reminded him that he was observing these fragments of time, he was not the one about to be touched by...death itself? The phrase was not one he cared to use, personifying death, but someone else did – it was Rebel...

_He saw him on his back on a bed in a room that was brightly lit and he couldn't be certain this was a room in a future version of the Tardis, but it felt like the Tardis. Rebel's face was as pale as the sheets that covered him up to his waist, and he struggled to breathe and focus as he looked into the eyes of Carla Bailey, who was weeping as she sat at his bedside._

"_Please don't die," she said tearfully, "I love you so much..."_

_He drew in a weak breath as his skin shone with sweat and then he whispered, "It's a game, Carla... between me and Death... He's staring me out and I'm waiting for him to blink first..."_

_And then he heard Carla give a sob._

"_Rebel!" she cried as she sank to her knees and Riley caught her._

_And out in the Victorian street a grand hearse drew up, the horses wearing black feathered plumage..._

_And Ace turned to him with a confused look in her eyes – what was Ace doing there?_

"_What do you know, Professor?" she asked him in a hushed voice._

The Doctor drew in a sharp breath and snapped his eyes open, cutting off his link to a chain of events that lead to Rebel's death.

The Tardis hummed quietly and as his gaze fell on the striped pram he was planning to take down to the nursery he felt a chill run through his blood:

Ace would _not_ be coming with him, he had seen the entity and sensed its need – it devoured human flesh... He had to keep her and the baby safe, far from the dangers that lurked in Victorian England. And yet he had seen her there standing beside him, demanding to know the truth, she had that look in her eyes that he knew would ever weigh his twin hearts heavy with guilt – the look that accused him of holding back from her...

The Doctor wondered how long it would be until he was dragged into this tragic mess that lie ahead. Perhaps events were already building, leading up to all he had witnessed...

He could never be sure when it came to time.

But what ever happened, his mind was made up on the most important matter:

_Ace would not be coming with him no matter what he had just been showed as time reached out to him. He was a Time Lord, and time was something he could alter..._

And with that thought in mind he wheeled the pram through to the corridor and headed for the nursery.

* * *

Rebel had slept well and woken to find the worst of his injuries had rapidly healed.

He had looked around his dark bedroom, the walls scattered with lights that shone like tiny stars and known at once he was very much alone. There was no ghost of Bella waiting to step out of the shadows now...

"Lights up," he said, and the Tardis obliged.

Then he got out of bed and went through to the bathroom and started to run a hot bath, feeling sure that was all he needed to lose the last of the aches that came from the remaining bruising caused by the whipping that had gone a little too far.

As the water rose he added old fashioned bath salts he had bought a couple of days before from a Victorian street market, and then he slipped into the warm water, giving a sigh as he closed his eyes.

"_Don't fall asleep in there, lover. That's not how it ends."_

He sat up sharply, hearts racing as he saw Bella sitting on the edge of the bath. She smiled as she looked into his eyes.

"You _definitely_ don't drown," she added, and then her smile faded.

"Tell me what happens," he said in a hushed voice.

She shook her head.

"So you can fight destiny? No. I'm not allowed to do that. But I can tell you that you're a far braver man than you imagine yourself to be this time around. You think you're broken by the past – you're not. In the end you will know just how strong you really are."

And the bathroom door opened and Carla walked in.

Rebel stared at her and then looked to Bella.

"She can't see me."

"Carla?" he said, and Carla looked at him, her gaze briefly shifted to his chest and the tattooed lettering on it, but the water filled with bath salts covered all else and she met his gaze once more.

"Sorry I didn't know you were in the bath – I just wanted to remind you to meet me in the lab -"

"Yes, I know. I'll be ten minutes, Carla."

"How is your back?"

Before he could answer she was behind him and her hand was gently touching the rapidly healing wounds, at least the ones above the water line.

"It's fine..."

He sounded tense, and with good reason; Bella was right, she was sitting on the edge of the bath and Carla couldn't see her...

Then the bedroom door opened and Riley called his name.

He looked through the open doorway to see his best friend standing in the doorway with Mary Kelly.

"Can't I have a bath in peace in my own Tardis?" he complained.

"Sorry mate – I just wondered if it would be okay if I showed Mary the library."

"Go and show her what ever you like, just _get out!_"

They left the room, and then it occurred to Rebel that neither Mary nor Riley could see Bella either, yet she had been in plain view of the open door...

He looked at his dead wife.

"The only person who can see me is you," she told him, "And I have to go soon. You won't see me again until... I think you _know_ when."

And she got up.

Carla had taken up a soft sponge and was gently bathing his healing wounds.

"Your back looks a lot better," she said, and then she put the sponge down and ran a gentle hand over the fading lash marks between his shoulders.

"I know," he whispered, but his reply had been directed at Bella.

"Don' be afraid," she told him as she stepped back from the bath, "I'm here to help when the time comes."

"I'll need to take a look at you when you're out of here and dried off," Carla said again, "Maybe I could examine you in the bedroom – you don't have to come through to the lab. Might be more relaxing that way."

She had spoken softly, but his reply was again directed to Bella.

"_Just leave me alone, please!"_

And Bella faded from sight, vanishing as if she had simply melted away.

Carla drew her hand back and stepped away from the bath.

"I'm sorry– I'll go."

He looked up at her in surprise.

"No – I didn't mean what I said...you can stay..."

Confusion clouded her eyes.

"Are you all right, Rebel?"

Then she noticed he looked pale.

"Are you still seeing things?"

His eyes widened.

"No!" he said quickly, seeing no point in being honest about the matter because he knew she wouldn't believe him.

"So what's wrong?"

And she sat down on the edge of the bath, right where Bella had been sitting moments earlier. He gave a weary sigh and leaned back, closing his eyes as the warm water soothed away more aches and pains.

"_Everything..."_ he complained.

As he lay there with his eyes closed, Carla looked down at him and ached to gently kiss him. But instead she poured some shampoo in to the palm of her hand then began to gently work it through his hair.

"This should relax you, I'll wash your hair for you. Just lay back and keep your eyes closed and don't worry about anything."

He started to smile as she gently massaged her fingertips into his hair.

"That feels wonderful..."

"Good," she told him, "Life isn't always about getting horsewhipped for pleasure, there _can_ be other ways."

He smiled again.

"Ah, but you don't know that side of me. I'd miss it badly if I couldn't have it."

"What, the pain?"

"The pain, and the joy of being powerless."

She laughed softly as she rinsed the shampoo from his hair.

"I find it hard to believe anyone could get off on something like that."

"Well I'm certain I'm not the only one, Carla!"

She ran her fingers through his hair again.

"So I guess I'd have a lot to learn if you and me were to - I mean, not that we _will_, but if we _did_ -"

He opened his eyes and looked at her in surprise.

"I don't think you want me to answer that question!"

She smiled and her face flushed.

"Curiosity can do these things to a girl. _Yes I do want to know_."

"Well if we were in that situation, which is a nice idea by the way – I wouldn't need to indulge all the time. I can go without it, but not forever."

"And that is your empathic receptors fault."

"No," he said honestly, "That's just who I am in this regeneration. I'll always have a kink for it."

"So I'd have to put up with your visits to brothels."

"Not if you could..."

He paused, and now it was his turn to blush.

"If I could what?" she asked.

He could barely look her in the eye.

"I'm sure you can work it out, Carla. You're a highly skilled medical expert. I'd imagine there's plenty of ways you could put me in my place and dish out some serious pain, most likely without causing much damage, too. "

"You've thought about it?"

He was still blushing. Talking like this with Carla had taken his mind off his problems, and as he recalled Bella had said she was leaving, he finally felt free of the ghost – if she really _was_ a ghost...

"Rebel?" Carla asked again, "You can tell me – have you thought about it?"

"You bet I have!" he said quietly, "More than once!" And then he sat up and grabbed a towel.

"You go and get your equipment and I'll meet you back in my room in ten minutes. I don't want to keep you waiting, I know you've got to go and see that Mission woman again."

Carla got up too.

"Okay," she said, and then she left the bathroom, walked out of the bedroom and back into the Tardis corridor, and as she headed for her lab she was smiling. She hadn't stopped smiling since she had turned her back on him:

_Rebel had thought about it, about him and her together. He had more than thought about it, he had fantasized..._

* * *

By the time he was dressed, Carla had returned to his room. She placed a small device next to the bed and asked him to lay back.

As he complied he laughed nervously.

"I mean what I said...about how it would be a nice idea. But I don't suppose you'd want to be tied down to someone like me."

"Why not you?"

She placed a small device against the side of his head, sliding it softly across hair that was still damp.

"Oh, I don't know...I'm a bit wild sometimes. I've got habits you don't exactly approve of..."

And then a flicker of worry appeared in his eyes as he recalled all Bella had told him.

"_You've gone quiet. Is something wrong? Is it the empathic receptor, if there's a problem I need to know -"_

"Calm down!" she exclaimed, "Why are you getting so worked up? I can see very clearly on the scanner, there is no change in the size or shape of the receptor. So you're still a mutant, but a healthy one."

As she lifted the device away and placed it next to the bed, Rebel sat up and she caught a look of deep concern in his eyes.

"But I may not stay that way?"

"I don't know. I do know the receptor can move, it can shift slightly, and it can swell. It's also slightly larger than it was a month ago. But things look okay today. Maybe you're right, perhaps it's just a harmless fluke of your regeneration. Or maybe not. That's what we can't be certain about. I believe eventually it will need to be controlled, if not because of physical changes, because of the way it's gaining strength and demanding more and more from you. That is why I want to design a cybernetic device to control it, so that _you_ can always control it."

He looked worried.

"But that sounds like a big procedure. I really don't want to go through something like that, Carla. It could be risky."

She sat down on the edge of the bed, and Rebel was suddenly very aware of their closeness.

"I'm more than capable of carrying out the procedure, I'm a cybernetic surgeon!"

"I know that, but..." he ran his fingers through his hair, "I _don't_ want a huge scar!"

His remark surprised her.

"This is about your vanity? I thought we were having a discussion about your _life_!"

"We are, but I don't want to have a big piece of organic metal on the side of my head, it's going to be hard to hide, my hair might not cover it. I don't want to look like a cyborg!"

"You won't," she promised him, "And you could easily hide it."

"Well, at least I don't have to think about that possibility yet," he said, and then he gave her a hug she wasn't expecting.

"Thanks for caring about me so much," he said as he let go of her, "I remember the way you looked after the Seventh Doctor when he was poisoned by the Master's toxin – you never gave up on him. I like to think if the time came you'd never give up on me, either – even I was ready to give up on myself."

And he got up and so did Carla.

"Rebel?"

He was heading for the door but he looked back at her.

"What, Carla?"

"Why are you talking like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like something terrible is about to happen? I told you just now – you're fine!"

"_For now,"_ he replied, and there was shade of sorrow in his eyes as he managed a smile, and then he walked off down the corridor towards the console room.

* * *

Rebel was still in the console room a short while later when Carla headed for the door carrying a large case.

"I've packed up everything I can spare," she said as she reached the Tardis door, "I just hope she believes me when I remind her that her own equipment isn't safe."

Rebel had been making a good job of pretending to work on something on the console. He looked up at her and smiled.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Carla," he said fondly.

"I won't be long," she promised, and then she walked out of the Tardis.

Rebel watched her leave. Then he went over to the door and inched it open, watching as she walked down the alley towards a bustling street. He waited for her to reach the end of the alley. Then as she stepped on to the street, he slipped out of the Tardis and ran to catch up with her, waiting at the top of the alley to give her a chance to walk away before he followed, just in case she looked back and saw him.

Then Rebel peered around the corner and saw her walking off past a parade of shops. He left the alley and began to hurry down the street, he crossed a busy road, making a dash for it as a carriage thundered along the road, and then he looked left and right and spotted Carla walking past the local park.

She didn't look back as she continued to walk, but he frequently paused, looking in shop windows, ducking into the open door way of the local pub and then stepping out again, just to be sure she didn't look back and spot him – because if that happened, she would guess why he was there and be _very_ angry indeed...

Rebel followed her across from the slums to a smarter side of town, where she turned to a place called Walton Square.

He hung back at the top of a tree-lined avenue as he watched across the street as she walked into the square. She crossed the road and walked up to the gate of a large, smart-looking property. She went up to the door and rang the bell, and then it was answered and she went inside.

Rebel noted the door number was 13, and then he turned back the way he came, heading for the Tardis. He had no intention of paying a visit to the address until Carla had returned, because he wanted to be certain she suspected nothing before he spoke to the woman at Walton Square about the possibility of using her short range laser scalpel to end his worries over the empathic receptor once and for all...

* * *

Rebel returned to the Tardis and waited.

Carla was absent for more than an hour, and when she returned she found him in the console room, still apparently checking equipment.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I was just checking to make sure there was nothing wrong with the guidance system – I'm still trying to find a logical explanation for that star map showing up the way it did."

He felt guilty for lying to her, and that guilt felt suddenly heavier as she smiled back at him.

"That's great! I'm glad to see you're putting those hallucinations aside and looking for the real reason for the glitch!"

"You're probably right," he agreed, "There can't be any other explanation. Sorry I was acting so strangely yesterday."

The look in her eyes softened.

"Don't apologise," she told him, "Just forget it happened, it's over with now."

And then she left the console room and went off down the corridor.

Rebel wasted no time, slipping out of the Tardis quietly and then walking briskly down the alley and out into the busy street, taking the same route he had taken when he had followed Carla, heading for Walton Square.

* * *

When he reached the house he opened the gate, went up the path and rang the bell.

The door was answered by a maid, who seemed a little surprised to see such a finely dressed gentleman at the door.

"I'm here to see the lady of the house – regarding a medical matter."

She looked him up and down and seemed a little confused.

"Miss Tyrell only treats the poor, sir. I think you've come to the wrong place."

Rebel understood at once – his clothing fitted in well with the era, but only the poor came to Miss Tyrell, the _lower_ classes...

"You misunderstand," he told her, "I'm the Doctor. And I wish to speak with her."

The maid stepped back and allowed him to enter the house.

"I'm so sorry, sir," she said at once, "I did not know you were also a doctor. Are you from the hospital?"

"Yes," he said, and his answer seemed to satisfy her.

"I think she's between patients. Please wait here and I shall see if she has time to speak with you."

And then she went down a carpeted hallway and paused at a door to knock softly, and then she went inside.

While he waited, Rebel gave a weary sigh as the sobs and the cries of those in pain seemed to amplify as his empathic receptor tuned in. Then he turned to an open doorway and saw a front room had been set up as a waiting area. The room was well decorated and furnished and a fire burned in the hearth. But the room was filled with the sick, the weak and the dying. People in rags who had no money and no chance of paying for medicine. As he turned away the pain receptor in his head calmed a little and the sounds of suffering faded out. He knew it wouldn't last for long, and soon he would have to take another T bomb to silence it but at least for now, its powers were weak, thanks to the dose he had taken the day before.

Then the maid came back down the hall.

"Miss Tyrell will see you now," she told him, and then she led him up the hall to the closed door at the end.

The Maid opened the door and Rebel walked in, but the maid did not follow, politely closing the door behind him.

* * *

He stood in the consulting room and smiled at the young woman who sat behind a polished wooden desk.

"Your office looks very Victorian," he said, "I was expecting something a bit more futuristic for a time traveller. I'm the Doctor, my friends call me Rebel. And one of my friends brought you some medical equipment this morning, Carla Bailey?"

The young woman behind the desk got up and smiled, and then held out her hand and he shook it.

"I'm glad to meet you, Rebel," she said, "Call me Annika. So, you're time travellers too?"

"Yes, we are."

And he took a seat and she sat down too and then she looked at him across the desk.

"Your friend was very generous to give me so much equipment. But I'm not so sure I believe her when she says my own tools are inadequate, my patients don't seem to think so."

Rebel cast a glance around the room.

"How do you get away with using such advanced equipment? Don't the patients wonder where the clever technology has suddenly come from?"

"No," she told him, "Patients needing surgery are anesthetized in here and I have a hidden room over there." And she pointed to a heavy velvet curtain that covered a doorway across the other side of the room.

"So is that all you came to ask me?" she wondered, and then she caught a flicker of apprehension in his eyes.

"No," he told her quietly, "I came to see you about a medical matter. I've got a problem and I believe you may be able to help me with it."

She looked at him intently.

_"I can't make promises, Rebel,"_ she said, _"But if you explain what the problem is, I'll see what I can about it for you..."_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As he sat in the chair and it reclined, Rebel felt both reassured and uneasy at the same time - this back room that was kept hidden was certainly filled with state of the art technology from a time far distant to Victorian England, but it made him no less nervous about what he was considering as Annika took a scanner much like the one used by Carla and placed the device against the side of his head.

She was studying the image of the empathic receptor, showing on the screen as a small dark vein that seemed to be resting on the surface of brain tissue, but he kept his gaze fixed on the wall as she looked closely at the image and then changed the scanner settings to see deeper inside.

"I've never seen anything like this before. It's an empathic receptor?"

"Yes, and a mutation. I'm _not_ supposed to have it. And I have to go to rather desperate lengths to keep the thing quiet sometimes. Can you take it out?"

She paused, studying the image from several angles.

"No," she told him, and her eyes were still on the screen as she shifted the scanner slightly and looked from another perspective, "It's some kind of organ that is virtually separate to the brain but it starts deep inside and then branches out. From what I can tell the visible part is responsible for the empathic reception. The rest of it looks like the base of the organ. I could burn out the receptor but you would still be an empath, just on a much more controllable scale."

"What do you mean by controllable?"

"You would still be able to feel and experience the unseen, if you choose to – the base of the receptor is wrapped around a part of the brain used for thinking so I'm guessing it was supposed to be something you could control, but it didn't work out that way."

"But you can burn the receptor out?"

"Not today, I'll have to book you in for tomorrow if that's convenient. _But there are risks_."

She took the scanner away and the chair shifted upright once more.

"Risks? Do you mean with the laser?" as he spoke he felt uneasy, recalling all that Carla had said against short range laser scalpels.

Annika went over to a table at the back of the room and picked up a laser scalpel and then stood beside the chair, pointing it outwards into thin air as she gave a demonstration.

"It can calculate depth and size of incision, and make it in a split second. But the power control has been known to experience intermittent failure, it's the down side to this equipment. I'll put it on to demo and show you a test shot."

And she switched it on and pressed a button. There was a sharp click and a hair-thin flash of light was visible for a split second, and then it was gone.

"That's the cutting mode," she told him as she switched it off, "And I won't be holding it when I use it, not for something delicate like this – I'll have it lined up beside you so it can make a small hole in the skull, and then the beam will pass through and up to destroy the receptor."

"The beam can change shape?"

"Yes, but of course I'm using it very close to brain tissue and if the second charge that goes inside the skull misfires, there is a risk the laser could cut far deeper than the intended target. And being shot in the head with a micro fine laser could cause damage on a wide scale that I couldn't possibly begin to calculate."

He thought again about all Carla had told him and suddenly wished she was at his side because now he felt apprehensive - and even a little frightened - as he weighed up the risk involved, but then he cancelled that thought, knowing for sure if Carla was here now, she would have gone ballistic to think he would even consider taking such a gamble...

"How much risk are we talking about?" he asked quietly as his gaze fixed on the laser scalpel.

"There's a lot of debate about the risk involved with these lasers," she told him, "But for minor surgery, its currently estimated at around twenty percent -"

"That's high!"

She looked at him in surprise.

"Not by modern standards in _my_ time."

"And what's the risk for burning out the receptor?"

"Around forty percent, could be slightly less but that's a rough estimate. And I'll understand if you _don't_ come back to see me tomorrow."

He looked at her, hesitating as he weighed it all up.

"But there would be risk posed by _any_ method used destroy the receptor,"she added, "I'm sure there are other choices for you - like perhaps a cybernetic implant, although that would be major surgery."

"And this isn't?"

"It's a keyhole technique that will leave virtually no visible scarring and you will be able to go home within an hour of treatment," she told him, "I'd advise you to rest for at least twenty four hours to get over it properly, but -"

"Is that all?" Rebel started to smile, "That's what I want to hear about, the _positive_ side to this! Thank you for your help. And you _will_ see me tomorrow. What time is my appointment?"

She went over to her desk and opened up a book.

"Be here at nine am and you'll be out of here by ten thirty," she told him.

Rebel got up and shook her hand.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said, "See you tomorrow, Annika."

And then he left the office feeling confident and almost excited as he walked out of the house and across the square, heading back across town to the Tardis. He felt as if all his fears had been laid to rest – it sounded such a simple procedure that he didn't want to think about risk any more...

On passing through the streets of Whitechapel, he sensed the pain and the bite of poverty and felt the hopelessness of all those around him. But today the pain seemed faded out by the knowledge that it would all be gone forever come tomorrow...

* * *

He entered the Tardis with a smile on his face.

Riley was standing over the controls, showing Mary the console.

"And this," he said to her, "Is the control room, where I use the controls to fly _my_ ship through space and time!"

"_Whose ship?"_ Rebel exclaimed, and Riley looked guilty as he turned back to Mary.

"Well,I say my ship - actually, its Rebel's ship. I'm just his companion – but we fight the monsters and the bad guys together."

And then as Mary's eyes lit up he smiled.

"Where's Carla?" Rebel wondered.

"I think she's in her lab. I was just about to show Mary the gardens."

She looked at him in awe.

"You have gardens too? I still can't believe this place is so big inside when it looks so small from outside."

"And I haven't finished impressing you yet,"Riley told her, "This place has worlds inside it you couldn't imagine! It;s even got a mountain range!" and then he offered her his arm and turned for the corridor.

"I'll give Carla shout for you," he said.

"_Someone said my name?"_

Carla walked into the console room. Rebel smiled and his eyes sparkled as he couldn't hold back the news.

"I _don't_ want a quarrel about this, but I've made a decision," he announced, and Riley, who was about to leave with Mary, turned back.

"What's going on?"

Rebel walked across the room and leaned casually against the console as he looked at Carla and decided it would be better to tell her everything, now, while he felt okay about his decision...

"I've weighed up the risks and the benefits and I've decided to have the empathic receptor treated tomorrow by Annika Tyrell. She's more than capable of burning it out for me, and its quick, painless and I will have _no_ scarring."

Carla's jaw dropped as she stared at him speechless.

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Riley said.

Carla was still staring at him.

"She's going to use a short range laser to destroy the receptor? Whose _insane _idea was this?"

Rebel was still smiling.

"Mine, actually. And I must say its a rather clever idea because according to Annika, the recovery time is a matter of hours."

"No," Carla said in a hushed voice, "No, you _can't_ do this – those lasers can misfire, they are highly dangerous! "

"Yes I know about the risk – but I believe it's worth it."

"You're _not _doing this!" she said to him,_ "I won't let you!"_

And the expression in his eyes changed, darkening as he looked at her.

"You won't _let _me? _Its not up to you!_"

She stepped closer to him, her eyes burning with anger.

"I can't believe you'd be that stupid!" she fumed, "I told you about the dangers of short range laser scalpels, doesn't my opinion count for anything?"

"Yes but I think you're exaggerating the risk, I understand, you're worried for me - you don't have to be. I spoke to Annika and she explained everything. She also told me about the considerable risk I would have faced if I'd decided to have a cybernetic implant instead."

"She's from a time when cybernetic implants would have been risky – but I'm not! I can't believe you could be so ignorant!"

"Ignorant?" he said angrily, "You've been telling me that was the best option. So I think it's a matter of opinion and the only opinion around here that counts is_ mine_, because it's my life and it's up to me!"

Anger flashed in his eyes and then he turned away from the console, and Carla grabbed at the sleeve of his coat, jerking him back sharply.

"_You're NOT doing it!" _she yelled.

And that anger that had flashed in his eyes turned to a blaze of fury.

"_Don't you ever tell me what to do with my life, you're a mere human being, capable of surviving for a handful of decades and then its lights out! I'm a Time Lord, I've lived far longer than any human and I will continue to live on for many lifetimes to come, I know considerably better than you do about everything, including what to decide about my own right to treatment!"_

Carla's eyes were wide as he leaned in close to her.

"Don't you _ever _tell me what to do with my life again!" he said darkly, and then Carla slapped his face. It was a sharp slap that was unexpected and as she drew back from him, her eyes were filled with tears.

Rebel put his hand briefly to his stinging cheek and knew at once he had made a poor job of holding back his temper.

"What was that, foreplay? You know me, Carla - I don't mind if a girl plays rough!" he said, hoping to salvage the conversation.

"_Bastard!" _Carla sobbed, and then she walked out of the console room, breaking into a run as she entered the corridor.

Rebel turned to see Riley and Mary staring at him.

"Sorry," he said, "I'm a bit worked up...was I too aggressive just now?"

Riley nodded.

"_Lets just say you earned that slap," _he replied quietly.

And then he turned to Mary.

"Why don't you go back to your room for a while?"

Mary nodded.

"Good idea," she replied, glancing nervously at Rebel as she headed off down the corridor.

* * *

Now the two of them were alone in the console room, Riley looked into the eyes of his best friend and saw a flicker of fear and understood the situation correctly.

"I don't think you are confident about this laser treatment. I think you're scared. And I also think you've got a reason to be scared. _Don't do it, mate. _Think about what might happen if it went wrong."

Rebel gave a heavy sigh.

"I'm trying to be positive about this."

"And making a bad job of it. You told her because you're scared. I don't blame you, I would be too. But I wouldn't have made that choice, too much risk."

Sadness reflected in Rebel's eyes as he looked at Riley.

"I know I'm different this time around, in this regeneration. I'll never be perfect, I'll never come close to being halfway to it – I'll always have a self destruct button inside me. But I'm taking volcanic rock powder every single day to try and shut what that receptor drags in! And I know its clouding my judgement, its making me lose control too. I never should have spoken to Carla like that. Sometimes my moods frighten me. And I still don't know why I hallucinated. I can't wait for Carla to design an implant. Besides, this is a quick and easy solution – one zap from a laser and my problems are gone. That's why I'm doing it. Now I should go and speak to Carla, I need to apologise for my behaviour."

And Rebel walked out of the console room quickly, hoping to make amends for the way he had spoken to Carla.

* * *

Riley stood alone listening to the quiet hum of the Tardis and he looked up at the high ceiling and spoke in a whisper, wondering if the ship listened to humans the way it listened to Time Lords.

"_I feel a bit weird talking to you," _he said in a low voice, _"I can't see your face, but I know you can hear me..." _And he glanced towards the corridor just to be certain he wouldn't be overheard, and then he continued:

"He is going to put himself at _great _risk if someone doesn't stop him! I can't do it, he wont listen to me! You know him better than anyone – and you know what he's like in this regeneration, he doesn't think, he just takes chances. This could be one chance too many. I don't know what to do. _He needs help_."

And as he looked around and the room continued to glow and give off a low hum, he felt slightly ridiculous for talking to an empty room.

"I guess you only communicate with Time Lords," he said, and he turned to walk away.

Then a bleep sounded and as he turned back to the console, a dial illuminated as a channel opened and the cracked screen showed static as the communication channel jumped to life.

"You want me to use it?" he wondered, and then he shrugged.

"Okay... but I've never used it before, I'm not sure how it works..."

Riley leaned over, close to the lens of the camera as he started to carefully tune the dial.

"Hello? Is anyone there, can you hear me?"

As he asked that question he glanced up towards the corridor, but saw no sign of Rebel.

The screen still showed static.

He gave a sigh as he watched the static rolling over the cracked screen.

"_Come on!"_ he said under his breath, _"Does this thing even work? Maybe not after Rebel smashed his head on it a few months back..."_

He tried the dial again.

"Hello?This is Riley. I'm calling because we need help, I repeat, we need help - Rebel is in trouble. And it's not what you think, he's done nothing wrong but...Oh, just answer, someone, _anyone!_"

And then the screen cleared.

"What's happened, Riley?" asked the Seventh Doctor.

Riley breathed a relieved sigh.

"I cant explain, there's no time. If he comes back and catches me -"

"Who?"

"Rebel! He mustn't know I've made this call – it wasn't my idea, the Tardis called you... We're in Whitechapel, in the year 1888...I don't know how to direct you any better -"

"That's fine, Riley. I can set a course and track your Tardis. Has something happened to Rebel?"

As he asked that question, Riley caught a look in his eyes that gave him a chill, as if he was expecting bad news...

"No, not yet - hopefully it won't if you talk some sense into him!"

"Is he in immediate danger?"

"No but he will be tomorrow. He's about to make a bad decision. I need you _stop_ him!"

The Seventh Doctor spoke calmly as he replied.

"Okay, Riley, I hear you. And I will be with you soon, certainly before tomorrow. Don't say anything to Rebel, just wait for me to turn up and let me do the talking. I'm not sure how long I'll be, but I will be there before morning... I have a few things to sort out at my end. See you soon."

"Thanks Doctor," Riley said, and the screen went dark.

Then he looked around the room and spoke quietly.

"_That was a good idea. Thank you, Tardis. I just hope it works..."_

* * *

"Carla?" Rebel's voice echoed down the corridor as he searched for her.

He called her name again and then looked back, but saw no sign of her. The lab was empty, so he walked on, reaching out with his empathic receptor – and just as her emotion hit him, he wished he hadn't done it:

_She wasn't angry with him at all._

_She was hurt and worried and frightened._

_He had caused her to feel that way because he had spoken so harshly._

_But she wasn't feeling all those painful emotions because she was afraid._

_She felt all that she did because of love..._

Rebel had reached the end of a long, winding corridor. He paused at the final door, still taken by surprise to feel such deep emotion:

_She had been very clever at hiding it from him._

_So clever that she had to be caught off guard for him to spot it..._

_She was in love with him._

He gave a weary sigh as he questioned the truth in his own hearts:

_Did he love her?_

Perhaps, but something deep inside, that weight as heavy and dark as mourning that reflected in his clothing seemed to remind him that he ought not, should not love again...until when?

_Never?_

He thought again of Bella and how real she had seemed.

Then he remembered he had made the choice to have the empathic receptor burned out. Soon he would not have to feel the pain of another ever again, if that was what he chose to do...

He opened the door, went into the garden and then shut the door behind him.

* * *

The garden was shaded by the boughs of tall trees that hug heavy with foliage, but in the spaces in between the sunlight broke through and he found the old path that led to a walled garden and saw the gate was open.

As he entered the walled garden he knew instantly he was not alone even though he had not yet found her. He could feel her heartache, sense every tear that had fallen from her eyes as if his own twin hearts had been broken.

He walked along a paved pathway that ran through the middle of a wide green lawn bordered by flowers. When he reached the end of the path he went up a sloping hillside, and as he climbed he heard the sound of running water growing closer.

_Of course she was by the waterfall. How appropriate that she should choose this place for her tears to also fall..._

He was feeling guilty and he knew it as he reached the top of the hill and then turned on to a pathway that led down to the riverbank.

As he caught sight of her sitting there looking into crystal clear water, his hearts skipped a beat and he wasn't sure if it was love or the fear of seeing more anger in her eyes when she turned her head and looked at him.

He walked slowly down the path and as she heard his footsteps approaching she turned her head. And for a moment he just stood there looking at her as a flood of words ran through his mind and everything he wanted to say reflected every aspect of all he felt within his hearts, but no words would come and so he stood there in silence, hearts wishing to open up to her - but instead forced into silence as they hammered in unison inside the tattooed chest he covered with his black shirt, black like all his clothing. He was trying to reach out to her, but he knew he was still draped in the colour of mourning and that knowledge held everything back...

As Carla turned her head and saw Rebel standing a short distance behind her, she blinked away tears and took in a deep breath and managed to find her voice, although it was still broken by weeping.

"_You've got a nerve to talk to me like that, like I'm nothing, like I'm a lower form of life! I never knew you could be so arrogant!"_

He said nothing in reply, taking the final steps down the sloping pathway and then falling to his knees beside her.

As he looked into her eyes he thought about his decision to trust the laser treatment and wondered if his gamble would pay off – or if it really was the start of the end. The cynical side of his mind was concluding it would certainly show him the truth about Bella – but the rational side was winning so far, apart from the fact that as he knelt on the grass beside the waterfall, he still could not find the words he wished to say – he could _not_ get them into any kind of order as he looked at her.

And Carla just sat there, looking back at him in confusion as something burned deeply in his eyes as he faced her, just looking as he spoke no words.

"Rebel?" she said, "What's wrong, say something -"

Her words were silenced as he grabbed her roughly and pulled her closer and smothered her mouth with a hard and desperate kiss.

"_What are you doing -"_

Again the breath was knocked from her as he pulled her down on to the soft grass and looked into her eyes.

"Rebel?"

He turned briefly on his side and unbuckled his belt, giving it a sharp and impatient tug as he unbuttoned his trousers.

"Slow down," she said, but then his hand slid up the bodice of her Victorian dress, and then he gave it a pull and fabric tore. As she lay there she looked up at him and saw desperate desire that turned his eyes to blue fire as he breathed heavily, and then he kissed her again, this time with more tenderness.

His hand trembled as he grabbed at her skirt and she reached for the fabric and raised it, then took off her underwear as her gaze fell on his exposed body. One glance told her all she needed to know – he _did_ need her desperately, he wanted her right now and couldn't wait...

"Okay, darling," she said gently, "Slow down, it's okay...I want you too..."

Then she could say no more as the weight of him pinned her down and he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

He kissed her again and his eyes filled with tears and she wondered if he wanted to apologise, tell her he loved her or both, but instead he gave a gasp and she clung to him as he took her there on the bank, he took her impatiently, desperately and with every movement he held her tightly and struggled to hold back from weeping.

It was an encounter that lasted a few brief moments before he lost control and gave a sharp cry as pleasure flooded his senses. Then he looked into her keys and he was breathing heavily, his hair was damp with sweat and passion still burned in his eyes.

"_It's okay,"_ she said again as she ran her fingers through his hair, _"I feel the same way, I've dreamed about this moment...Come here."_

And she held him in her arms and he still said nothing, just rested his head on her shoulder as they lay together, and then he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the waterfall yet nothing could calm the pounding of his twin hearts.

He wanted to explain everything, he wanted to tell her he loved her.

_But still the words would not come. _

Rebel was still trembling slightly as he sat up and tidied his clothing and then ran his hand over his hair.

"You still look like you've been up to no good," she said to him as she folded down her skirt. And she caught a flash of warmth in his eyes and then he kissed her again, embraced her and then looked into her eyes one last time before letting go and standing up.

"You don't have to walk off," she said softly.

There was still the trace of a look in his eyes she couldn't define.

"I'll see you later on, we can talk then," she told him.

And Rebel turned away and went back up the hill, down the other side and took the path that led out of the gardens.

As he walked on he felt the distance that was separating him from Carla and his hearts ached, that ache was made worse by the fact that there was so much he wanted to say to her, but did not feel ready to do so.

_Now he guessed if he died tomorrow, she would never know the truth and so much would forever remain unsaid._

He kept the thought of her embrace and the memory of what they had shared bright in his mind, and as he went back into the main Tardis corridor, he regretted the silence that had denied so much truth, but at the same time he cherished the memory of her, because he still couldn't be sure if it would be his _only_ memory in this lifetime of loving Carla Bailey, and if the end was coming like Bella had said, perhaps she would _never_ know the truth that he had held back from her...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was growing late. Evening shadows were falling over Perivale and although he knew owning a time machine meant there was no need to rush because he could arrive at the right time and place whenever he chose to leave, he still felt as if he was putting it off, because he had waited for Ace to wake and then brought her some tea and sat on the bed and talked about her suggestion to go and visit her mother soon.

"I think she'd want to see a lot more of us if she knew we were so close by," Ace said to him.

And the Doctor looked at her, pausing for thought. There was no easy or nice way to explain that he was needed somewhere and could not take her with him because he was worried for the baby...

He wouldn't normally have worried about Ace – over the years she had more than proved she could handle countless difficult situations, but Ace and a baby was a very different matter, especially Ace and _his_ baby...

"So we'll go and see her tomorrow, right Professor?"

He was still silent, looking away from her as he remained lost in his thoughts.

"Professor?"

He heard her and turned his head, looking at her as regret made his hearts weigh heavy.

"Ace, I had an urgent message from Rebel's friend, Riley."

There had been a sparkle in her eyes but it faded quickly, replaced by concern.

"What's happened?"

"Nothing yet, but Riley seems to think my Fourteenth incarnation is about to land himself in some rather deep water over something. I didn't have time to say much to him, he was using the communication channel without Rebel's knowledge."

"And you need to go and find him?"

He nodded, looking at her intently as he waited for her reaction.

"Then we should leave now!" she said, "I'll be okay, the baby's not due for a few more weeks and -"

"_No. I have to go alone."_

Defiance filled her gaze at once.

"Without me? I'm pregnant, I'm not helpless, Professor!"

He gave a sigh.

"Yes, I was expecting you to say something like that. But I fear there may be dark forces at work, powerful forces... I felt something reaching out to me, I caught sight of events unfolding in another time and place and there is danger."

"Like I've never seen _that_ before!"

Ace drank the tea and set the cup down on the china saucer on the table beside the bed and then she sat up and flipped her long hair off her face.

"I'm more than capable of coming with you to sort out this...what is it, anyway?"

"Some kind of entity." he replied, "A drifting mass – most likely capable of shape shifting, too. I don't think Rebel knows what he's up against. I believe he tried to banish it from Earth but I'm not so sure he's succeeded."

"Then he definitely needs our help."

"Ace, you're pregnant. I've no intention of letting you walk into a dangerous situation when it's not just _you _that you might need to look out for."

She thought for a moment, and then she shook her head.

"No, Professor. I'm not arguing about this, I'm just stating a fact – you've often said you hold back from me, you keep me out of the real picture sometimes, to protect me. I get that, but I also recall you promised to be more open with me, around the time you put this ring on my finger and made me your wife."

Her words rang true and he knew he was beaten.

He could easily plot to alter the course of time – but to change the mind of Ace when she was determined?

_No_.

She had won this time because everything she had just said reminded him of what their marriage was based on - truth and honesty, and it was precious, more so since he betrayed her with Carla Bailey. Openness and honesty had saved their marriage. And he knew she would not accept lies or excuses to hold her back – nor would she fail to defend herself and the baby if she needed to, because she was more than capable of doing just that.

The matter was settled:

_Ace was coming with him..._

* * *

Far off in 1888, the Fourteenth Doctor was in his room on his bed still in his clothes as he sat in semi-darkness thinking about the choice he had made. Here on earth it was almost six in the morning, and the Tardis was silent save for the usual hum that sounded through out the vessel.

As the dark walls glowed softly with lights that twinkled like distant stars, he looked up at the ceiling and thought about Carla Bailey. She had knocked on his door just before midnight, and then she had opened it...

_And he had turned on his side, feigning sleep, and she had left the room again._

He still couldn't find the words to explain how he felt. He knew he wanted her, he had more than proved that, too – but to say the words _I love you_ seemed too much too soon because he still thought of Bella and his family, doomed from the moment the solar shields had failed...

Then he thought some more on the subject of the solar shields.

He recalled his anger, his grief, the pain that had turned into a terrible rage.

Many years ago he had become the Doctor and made the decision to do good and harm none.

That was before the owners of the poorly-maintained solar shields had sat back raking in profits while a planet burned...

He didn't know if the laser treatment would kill or cure him, he hoped it would cure him because even though he wasn't without his problems he was starting to get used to life in this Fourteenth regeneration and he wasn't planning on dying yet...

_But if he did..._

The look in his eyes darkened as he recalled a secret that had never been revealed, a secret that would dash away all trace of the man Riley believed him to be...

_And it would be Riley._

_If he found himself on his deathbed any time soon, he knew his brother in law was the only person he could share his final confession with..._

Rebel got up and reached for his coat.

He was shaking inside as he thought of what he had agreed to and the risk it involved. At the time he had been able to concentrate on the positive, but now he was afraid.

He wanted to wake Carla and ask her to go with him.

But he knew she would only start a quarrel when she got there and do everything in her power to prevent the use of the short range laser.

He also knew if he was going to do this, he would be doing it alone.

And he would be leaving earlier than planned, because he felt sure if he waited any longer his nerves would get the better of him and he would back out...

Rebel left this room and went up the Tardis corridor, hearing only the sound of his own footsteps echoing as he walked into the console room.

"See you soon, old girl," he said to the Tardis, and then he slipped quietly out of the door and made his way along the alley and on to the streets of Victorian Whitechapel.

* * *

As the Seventh Doctor's Tardis landed in 1888 he looked up from the console to see Ace enter the room in a long Victorian dress. It was off white and covered with a floral pattern, but most of the dress was hidden by the large, thick coat she wore to keep out the winter chill. As he looked at her he decided the coat hid just how advanced her pregnancy was, but it didn't make him feel any better about bringing her here, to a dark time for London when the place was still in fear of Jack the Ripper...

"Are we ready to go?"

The Doctor had glanced down at a screen on the console, where a map of the streets illuminated a spot close by to his own Tardis.

"_We?"_

He looked up from the console.

"You know Professor, you and me, us – you didn't think I'd come all this way to sit in the Tardis, did you?"

His eyes darkened as he recalled all he had sensed about the lurking entity.

"Ace, this isn't about making a point to me – I know you think you can take care of yourself. _But so did five women from this time, the five women used to the harsh realities of life on the streets of Victorian England. They all thought they could handle themselves when faced with danger but not one of them could fight off Jack the Ripper_."

As he held her in his gaze, Ace felt cold creep over her flesh.

"Jack the Ripper?" she said in a hushed voice, "What's he got to do with -"

"There never was a blood thirsty serial killer here in Whitechapel. It was a flesh eating entity capable of shape shifting. Which explains the many different descriptions of Ripper suspects. I saw it, I felt the essence of it and it's powerful, too - Rebel thinks he trapped it and sent it away from this planet but he's wrong. He's too distracted by his life to think too deeply about the situation..."

"That's why we're here, because of this entity?"

He shook his head.

"I can't be sure. Perhaps, in part. But I'm sure there's more to it, there always is, when two regenerations cross paths like this for a second time."

The look in her eyes softened.

"There you go again, trying to protect me. Now I know the score I know what we're up against!"

"_But it has a taste for human flesh. Its yet to try unborn child."_

His words shocked her.

"You think it would want to -"

"Eat you and the baby? Possibly. Can you blame me for trying to protect you? Rebel wishes he could have protected his wife and children but he got home too late and the planet was burning. He lives with that grief every single day. I don't intend to make a similar mistake. Stay in the Tardis, Ace. And don't worry, no one else can get in. The Tardis will protect you."

Her hand had shifted to her unborn child as she looked back at him and he walked to the door.

"You really think that entity thing is so dangerous I should stay here?"

Her voice was hushed and he saw a look of fear in her eyes.

"Yes I do," he replied, "But as soon as this problem is cleared up, I'll come back for you. I'm sure you'd like to see Rebel again."

She nodded.

Then as he left the Tardis she thought about what he had just said, and recalled the last time she saw Carla Bailey she had been leaving in Rebel's Tardis. The Professor had said, Rebel needed Carla for a reason, that she was significant to him...

_She was still with him?_

The thought of coming face to face with her again was not a welcome one. She had hoped that the passing of time would ease the memory of the Doctors guilt, uncovered by the phone call the Master had forced her to listen to. She had thought over the whole situation and remembered it had happened under circumstances that were not usual, that her Professor had been under terrible strain at the time, and she had not been there for him.

In some ways she blamed herself.

Perhaps if she had been stronger for him, if she had cried less, if she had been more supportive – but did any of that _really_ excuse his infidelity?

Thinking about it now seemed like a waste of time to dwell on the negative.

Perhaps she would always feel anger towards Carla Bailey.

And maybe she was entitled to feel that way.

_All she knew for sure was, she knew she was not looking forward to meeting her again – because that meeting would not be an easy one..._

* * *

As he arrived on the doorstep of 13 Walton Square, Rebel hesitated as doubts clouded his mind. Then he took a deep breath and rang the bell.

The maid answered and he gave himself no more time to allow doubt to shake his judgement.

"I realise I'm early, but I need to see Miss Tyrell as soon as possible."

He had sounded as anxious as he looked, and the maid invited him in and asked him to wait. Rebel took a seat in the hallway as he broke out in a cold sweat and his twin hearts raced as he wondered if he was about to make a mistake or the best decision of his regeneration...

He looked up as footsteps sounded down the hall.

"Doctor!" Annika said in surprise, "I really wasn't expecting to see you today."

"You wouldn't have seen me at all if I hadn't left early," he said, "I'm nervous about this...but I can't avoid taking chances, I have to think about the positive that will come out of it."

"I've just finished setting up the laser," she told him, "We can do this now if you'd prefer to get it over with – if you're sure it _is_ what you want."

"Of course it is," he said, but his voice trembled as he spoke.

He said no more as she led him to the room at the end of the hall and invited him inside.

Then he waited in the office as she drew the curtain back and opened the locked door that led to the hidden room.

"Are you coming in?" she asked, and he nodded and followed her inside.

* * *

As Rebel saw the laser set up next the bed, he drew in a tight breath as he remembered every warning Carla had given him about the bad reputation of the short range laser scalpel.

"The procedure will take a matter of seconds," she told him, "If you're ready you can lie down now."

He froze, thinking again about the warnings...

"Seconds?" he repeated.

"But I would advise you to lie down and rest for at least an hour afterwards," she told him, "Although the procedure uses micro fine precision, expect a headache afterwards."

He went over to the bed and took off his jacket.

"Do I need to undress?"

"No, just lay back and get comfortable. And keep very still."

He got on to the bed and laid back, looking up at the ceiling as she switched on a scanner and lined up the equipment.

"I suppose this is a gamble no different to any other...I've always been one to take risks...I once almost lost my own Tardis in a game of cards!" And he laughed nervously, "I usually win."

"Hold still."

As she moved the equipment closer and his head was locked into position by a metal band he caught his breath.

"If this situation wasn't so serious I'm sure I could make a joke about being tied up and enjoying it..." he laughed nervously, but Annika did not get the joke, because she wasn't Carla - and now he was wishing he had begged Carla to come with him, even if there had been a quarrel because of it...

She took a comb and parted his hair, checking on the scanner to be sure the right location was lined up.

"I'm going to move the laser closer now," she said, "Stay calm, this will be over in seconds. You might feel a sharp pain from the first shot. The second will take out the empathic receptor."

He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. His hearts were racing and he wanted to back out, but knew if he did he would spend the rest of his regeneration wondering if he had made a huge mistake...

She checked the position of the laser again.

"Three seconds," she said to him, and he waited, then heard a crack and felt a needle-sharp pain that cut through the left side of his head.

The pain throbbed and his eyes watered.

"Oh, that was a bit _too_ much...stop...I need a minute..."

He was breathing heavily, he felt no pain as she paused to wipe the site of the laser incision, but inside the pain flickered and reminded him of the morning he had woken up covered in blood after he hit his head on the Tardis console.

"You will not feel the second shot,'" she promised him, "The only pain you can feel is the microscopic hole the first laser punched through your skull."

"And that makes me feel even worse...I'm not sure I need so much information. Just get it over with, I want to go home."

She paused to power up the laser a second time, then she shifted it closer to the wound.

"It's reading the path of the beam correctly, all systems are working just fine," she promised him, and then she pushed a button.

There was another sharp crack and this time no pain, and Rebel lay there with his eyes closed as he tried to calm his breathing.

"So...I'm still alive, it's over and I'm not dead yet...is it safe to say it was successful?"

She turned to the scanner and then switched it off.

"The receptor is gone," she told him, "You still have the base which will be capable of some reception, but nothing on the scale you had to put up with before."

Rebel laughed softly as he opened his eyes. The room seemed a little too bright and his eyes ached, and he guessed this was the beginning of the headache she had warned him about.

"So I can have a lie down for a while and then go home?"

"Yes but I would advise you to rest for another twenty-four hours, at least until the pain goes away. And if you experience dizziness or nausea in that time it's nothing to be concerned about – the first blast from the laser was like a punch in the head. Expect to feel the effects of that, it won't clear up for a day, possibly longer. But after that you'll feel fine."

And she shifted the equipment back, wiped the wound and hit it with a spray of something cold to seal the minute hole, and then she released him from the device that had kept his still. Then she wiped the excess spray from his hair and fetched a mirror.

"Take a look."

He cautiously turned his head slightly, expecting pain but feeling none and then he smiled as he saw a small wound just visible in his parted hair.

"No scars! Thank you _so_ much! I can go back to the Tardis and no one will even know I've had the procedure!"

"I think you ought to let them know," she said to him, "They might wonder why you need to lie down. And if you do get adverse side effects, its best to explain what's caused it."

"I will," he told her, "After the headache has gone, because I'm sure Carla will soon give me another one when she finds out I've done it..."

"I'll leave you for a while," she told him, "I won't be opening the doors to patients for a few more hours, so you can have a quiet rest."

"Thank you," he said to her, and gratitude shone in his eyes as he looked at her.

"It's so quiet! I can't tune in to all the suffering any more, I used to take volcanic rock to shut the thing up – I won't need that now. I can stop taking it."

She shifted the equipment back against the wall, disconnected the laser and put it on a table with other equipment, and then cast him a doubtful glance.

"Blue volcanic rock is highly addictive. I doubt you could stay off it forever."

"I'm working on it," he told her, "And I have a good reason to come off it – I've met this girl – well, I already know her but we've been getting closer lately, and I know she hates me taking the stuff. I'd like to give it up for her as well as me."

"I hope you succeed," she said, and then she left the room and closed the door quietly behind her.

The Fourteenth Doctor lay back and smiled as he gave a relieved sigh, enjoying the silence, the peace he had longed for since his difficult regeneration...

"I think I can safely say that's _another_ gamble that's paid off!" he said, and then he closed his eyes and tried to rest as the start of a headache nagged at his mind.

* * *

The dark blue Tardis with the stained glass windows was easy to find thanks to the tracking device in his own Tardis. The Seventh Doctor made his way up the alley towards the blue police box, on the way up he paused to pick up a newspaper and he read the headline and then folded the paper and put it in his inner pocket deciding to read it later on – reports of murder made chilling reading, but he knew Ace would want to have a look purely out of curiosity.

As he reached the door he opened it using his own Tardis key and went inside.

The console room was vast – a contrast to his own – but the hum that filled the air was familiar.

"Hello again old girl," he said fondly, "I'm here to see the Doctor – number Fourteen. Where is Rebel, I understand he's in a spot of bother?"

And then he heard footsteps coming from the corridor. Two people entered the console room, they both stared at him, but Riley spoke up first.

"It's good to see you again!"

The other person remained silent.

The Doctor smiled politely.

"Hello again Carla," he said pleasantly.

For some reason her face flushed. He wasn't sure if she was thinking of the past or her new connection with _her _Doctor, the Fourteenth Doctor. He felt certain something had happened between her and Rebel, he could see it in her eyes, and that made perfect sense, too – he had known there was a deeper reason he had saved Carla from the explosion that had destroyed the Cassandra- Aurora - of course, it made perfect sense to him now:

_He had saved her for the Doctor._

_Not himself, in his Seventh life time, but for a life time many regenerations from now – she was meant to be with Rebel..._

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

The Doctor looked into her eyes.

"In the Tardis? I let myself in, Rebel's often done the same to me – one key opens every Tardis."

"No, I mean, why are you here?"

"You've had some trouble, I understand?"

That question had been directed at Riley, who nodded and then looked to Carla.

"I thought it best – well, I asked what to do and the Tardis opened the channels for me. We need help with Rebel before he does something stupid."

"_You_ called the Doctor?" she exclaimed, but Riley turned back to the Seventh Doctor.

"He's found this woman who works for a future based mission, she's using her medical skills to treat the poor of London – but she's using short range laser scalpels. He's decided to let her burn out his empathic receptor."

The Doctor paused for thought, and then a flicker of alarm registered in his eyes.

"Short range laser scalpels...yes, I've heard of them. They were banned because they had a habit of misfiring and often the patient didn't know about it until hours later...usually hours _too _late... I can understand why you want to talk him out of this. I don't know that he will listen , but I'd like to see him. I would have turned up last night but I thought I may as well wait for morning to be sure I'd catch him in – he's not the kind of man to see the crack of dawn very often, is he!"

"_But he's not in his room."_

"What?" Carla said in alarm.

"He's not in his room," Riley repeated, "I went to talk to him this morning, to try and talk him out of it and his bed doesn't look slept in."

"Oh no, he could be anywhere!" Carla was starting to panic and in that moment the Doctor knew for certain his instinct had been right – she was definitely in love with him, and for Rebel, that was not a bad thing at all...

"I'm sure he's not far away," the Doctor said, and then the Tardis door opened and Rebel walked in.

He smiled brightly as his eyes sparkled. He looked well, far better than the last time the Doctor had seen him...

"Rebel!" he said warmly, "I have something to thank you for – I think you know what it is."

He smiled back at him as he went over to the console to join him.

"I healed you. I'm guessing Ace is now pregnant?"

"The baby is due in a few weeks," he said, "And there's no words to truly express my gratitude. That's why I'm here, to help you out in return."

"Me? What do I need help with?"

The Doctor looked at him thoughtfully.

"You seem very well, Rebel. Am I right in thinking you've cut down on your use of the blue mist?"

"Yes I have."

"But you're considering a dangerous procedure to destroy the empathic receptor?"

Surprise registered in his eyes.

"How did you know about that?"

"I told him," Riley said quietly, "I'm sorry, but you wouldn't listen – I thought maybe he would make you see sense."

Rebel dismissed his confession with a wave of his hand.

"It doesn't matter now. I had the procedure early this morning and I'm feeling absolutely fine! Now, can we all stop worrying about me because there's no need."

"There is one other problem," the Doctor said quietly, and he indicated with the tip of his umbrella towards the closed Tardis door.

_"That entity you banished."_

Rebel leaned against the console and pushed his dark fringe out of his eyes, then he cautiously ran his fingertips through the side of his hair, expecting to feel pain where the laser had cut in, but felt none.

"The entity? What of it?"

"You didn't."

"_What?"_

The Seventh Doctor looked at him intently.

"You didn't banish it. Because I don't think it had the means to leave this planet. I believe it was stranded here. And it's still lurking, waiting for the right time."

Rebel's bright blue eyes widened.

"What?" he said again.

"_It's not gone yet,"_ the Doctor told him,_ "And we need to flush it out and destroy it before it discovers an alternative way off this planet...like in a Tardis, for example..."_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"You seriously think something could attack my Tardis?" Rebel said, "I find that hard to believe, Doctor..."

"I was so sure the entity was still around I told Ace to wait behind in my own ship. I couldn't take a risk with her and the baby. That thing is out there somewhere, you can be sure of it. I sensed it from where I was in the next century – it has _not_ left this planet yet."

"I was sure it was gone, it disappeared -"

"It's a shape shifter. Capable of becoming invisible when under attack, I would imagine."

"I didn't think of that," Rebel admitted, "Good thing you're here!"

And then a white light flashed across his left eye and pain throbbed.

He drew in a sharp breath as he brought his hand up to his temple, leaning on the console to steady himself.

"Rebel?" the Seventh Doctor said.

The Fourteenth Doctor gave no reply as he clutched at the side of his head.

"Are you okay?"

He blinked to clear blurred vision and saw Carla looking at him with concern in her eyes.

"Headache," he said quickly, and looked back at his Seventh incarnation.

"So, this entity...where do we start to look for it now?"

The Doctor took the newspaper from his jacket and unfolded it.

"I'm guessing it's well fed. It won't be seeking out food for a few more days..."

Rebel studied the newspaper headline and then looked up sharply as his eyes grew wide.

"_Riley, you should see this..."_

He shook his head.

"I've got no time to read old papers – I need to go and see Mary, she's getting lonely on her own..." And then he smiled, adding, "I think she likes me."

He had smiled as he made that statement, but then Rebel pushed the paper into his hands.

Confusion clouded his eyes as he saw the headlines and the contents of the article.

"_What?"_ he said in a hushed voice.

The Seventh Doctor took up the explanation:

"_Mary Kelly? No, Riley. That poor girl was murdered by the Ripper."_

Riley's face paled.

"Then if she's not Mary, who -"

"More like, _what_ is she?" Rebel added, "I've just remembered something...history stated a witness saw Mary leaving her lodgings early on the morning of the killing. But it _wasn't_ Mary."

Riley drew in a shaken breath.

"It was the shape shifter?"

"Yes," Rebel replied, "And you brought it back to _my_ Tardis!"

Carla had also turned pale.

"What are we going to do?"

And then a low growl sounded from deep in the Tardis corridors.

"No time to waste on explanations," Rebel replied, and he began to key in a flight sequence.

"I'll take the shields," the Seventh Doctor told him, and he started to quickly reprogramme the shields as Riley and Carla looked on.

Suddenly the wheezing whoosh of the Tardis taking off sounded, and the ship moved with a sharp jerk, shifting rapidly from Earth, 1888...

"What are you doing?" Carla said in alarm.

"Taking off, taking that thing as far from earth as possible. And _don't_ move – you too, Riley. We are now protected. It can't touch us and it can't get near the console."

Riley heard a low hum and as a bubble seemed to rise up around him, he tried to touch it, but as the barrier fizzed beneath his touch he gave a gasp.

"What is it?"

"Force field?" Carla guessed.

Rebel was still working the console controls as he looked up and flashed a smile.

"Well done Carla! Yes it _is_ a force field. I'm about to open the Tardis doors. Anything not under the shield will get sucked out."

And then as a figure appeared in the doorway to the console room, Carla stared in shock at the sight of Mary Kelly:

The being still assumed her form, but now its face was a swirling mass of dark energy as multiple jaws opened and closed, snapping as it glared at the people who stood around the console.

Riley was still shocked as he spoke up again.

"But...I thought she was a girl! I liked her... I _kissed_ her in the library!"

The entity twisted and the last resemblance to Mary vanished, in her place was a swirling mass.

"Rebel...are you sure this is safe?"

Carla sounded frightened.

"Don't worry," he said calmly, "It can't touch any of us..."

The Seventh Doctor looked down at the controls.

"Ready when you are Doctor..."

"Please, Doctor - you solved the problem. You should have those honours," Rebel replied politely.

The mass swirled into the console room, collided with the shield as Carla screamed, then it bounced off violently hitting the wall with a thud.

"I think now might be the best time, before you need to redecorate again!" the Seventh Doctor said, and pushed a button.

The Tardis door flew open, showing nothing beyond but deep space punctured by stars. The dark mass screeched and writhed as jaws widened and it twisted and stretched, and then it was drawn rapidly out of the Tardis. It swirled in space, clawing to regain control as it twisted and struggled.

The Doctor hit a control and the Tardis door slammed shut.

"Shields down now?" Rebel said.

"_Humans on board!"_

"Oops!" he added, and pressed some buttons on the console, then he laughed, feeling slightly embarrassed as he looked to Carla and Riley.

"Sorry about that – I forgot you need oxygen._ I almost killed you both in a vacuum!_"

"Thanks a lot Rebel!" Carla exclaimed.

He looked back down at the controls.

"Life support running and now, shields down."

And he operate the controls a final time, and the internal shields vanished.

"Now we need to get out of here before it tries to attach itself to the Tardis," the Seventh Doctor said.

"Right!"

Rebel slammed down a lever and time and space began to flash by. Then the lever slipped and he reached down and grabbed the house brick and placed it on top of the broken lever.

The speed picked up once more and he turned to the others and smiled.

"Problem solved!"

"Is it really gone?" Carla said nervously.

"Yes," the Seventh Doctor replied, "We lost it far off in a distant galaxy. It has no means to transport itself back to its home planet – my guess is, its guidance system may have become damaged some how – it will simply drift in space and slowly fade away, no longer a threat to any life form any where."

"So where are we going now?" Riley asked.

"Back to 1888," Rebel replied," I have to get the Doctor back to his own Tardis."

And his Seventh regeneration smiled.

"_At least you got that part right."_

"I couldn't have done this without you," Rebel admitted.

And then a white flash cut across his vision again and he staggered forward, grabbing at the console as the room span violently.

He heard Carla say his name and he looked up at her.

"Rebel," she said again, "What's wrong with you?"

He straightened up, blinked to clear his vision and took the brick off the lever and slowed the speed as the Tardis prepared to land.

"Nothing...we can talk about it later."

And then they landed and as the room fell silent, Carla was still standing there staring at him.

"No. We need to talk about this _now_...look at me..."

Rebel blinked.

"What?"

He heard tension in her voice as she spoke again.

"One of your pupils is blown. Did you get drunk last night? Did you fall or hit your head or -"

"Or did you do what I _think_ you've done?" asked the Seventh Doctor quietly.

Rebel turned and looked at him and he caught a flicker of fear in his eyes.

"_Yes I did,"_ he said in a hushed voice, _"Carla, I'm sorry. But I couldn't wait for a cybernetic implant. I didn't want to go that way with it, I wanted to be rid of the empathic receptor. So I did it. I had it burned out with a short range laser."_

She drew in a slow breath as she shook her head.

"No, please tell me you didn't...Rebel? You wouldn't, not after what I told you about -"

"The risks? Well, Annika said I was fine after the treatment. I felt fine...at first..."

"I need to scan you. Damage from a misfired laser doesn't show up right after use. It's delayed!"

Rebel looked back down at the console as he blinked away tears.

"I think I may have made a big mistake," he said quietly, "A _very _big mistake...I don't feel too good..."

And as he looked down at the console he drew in a shaken breath, staring at the star map that Bella had placed on the screen:

_It used to look like a blank void._

_Now, in the middle of that void he saw a faint outline of a planet, glowing ghostly against the blackness of space..._

_Bella had said only the dead could see Stellar Eternus..._

As he looked back at Carla he was trembling.

"Something went wrong," he whispered as his eyes grew wide with fear, "I can see the outline of it...Stellar Eternus!"

"What did you say?" the Seventh Doctor asked with interest.

"Only the dead can see it...I can see something on that screen, not a planet, not yet...but the outline..._I think I'm dying!_"

Carla placed her hands on his shoulders and spoke gently to him as she tried to calm him down.

"Rebel, you could be wrong. I won't know how much damage that laser has done until I scan you. I need to do that right now, no delays. Let's go through to the lab."

"I'm going to get Ace," the Doctor said, "I've left her alone in the Tardis for too long."

Carla barely heard him as she put her arm around Rebel and led him towards the corridor.

"I think I'm dying!" he said again anxiously.

"It's okay, don't get worked up...I'm coming with you, mate," Riley added, and then he hurried off to join them.

The Doctor stood alone in the console room and gave a heavy sigh.

"_Now I know why I was called back here," _he said in a low voice, feeling sure this version of the Tardis owned by his Fourteenth regeneration could hear him, _"Our time lines have crossed because of parallels...I get it now. I was dying from the Master's toxin and needed his help. And now he needs mine... but I'm not sure if anything can be done if that lasers gone deep...I'm going to fetch Ace."_

And then he turned for the door, and as if to acknowledge all he had just said, the Tardis door opened up for him, and the Doctor stepped outside feeling a weight in his twin hearts as he thought of his Fourteenth self, a man damaged by grief and a bad regeneration, who had just made a possibly fatal mistake...

* * *

As the Tardis door opened, Ace caught her breath, and then relief washed over her.

"I'm so glad you're back! I couldn't stop thinking about what you told me."

"And it's over now, the entity is gone."

He gave her a hug and she pulled him in tight and close, planting a kiss on his cheek as he held her. But as he drew back she caught a flicker of sadness in his eyes.

"You said the entity's gone, so what's wrong now, Professor?"

He gave a heavy sigh, and as he spoke again he felt thankful for the warmth of her arms around him.

"Rebel had his empathic receptor burned out with a soon to be banned short range laser scalpel. The beam misfired. In other words, he's been shot in the head with a micro fine laser and I _very_ much doubt the damage can be repaired. _He will most likely die because of it._"

He had expected to see emotion, as Rebel was responsible for healing the damage caused by the Master's toxin, and without that healing, their child never would have been conceived...but the grief he saw in her eyes went far deeper as she blinked away tears.

"Dying?"

He nodded.

"Carla's yet to confirm it but I would imagine there could be no other outcome. He took a gamble and its cost him heavily."

"But he can regenerate -"

"I'm not sure that he can. If that laser has damaged the complex regeneration mechanism that runs through his body this injury could be the end of the Doctor's lives."

"The end of _your _lives..."

"We don't know anything for sure yet, Ace. I came to fetch you, his Tardis is just around the corner."

Ace blinked away tears and nodded.

"We should go to him," she said in a hushed voice, "He needs us..."

They turned for the Tardis door.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed sadly as he put his arm around her shoulder, "He certainly does, he's not strong enough to deal with this alone."

* * *

Rebel was on his side on the bed in Carla's lab and Riley stood anxiously beside him as she scanned the site of the laser's impact.

Carla's eyes blurred with tears as she saw the damage beyond the successful removal of the empathic receptor. The damage ran deep, too deep to repair – and the wound was micro fine, making the injury almost invisible as the wound slowly bled.

"_You stupid bastard,"_ she said tearfully, _"What have you done..."_

"Am I dying?" he said again, and the fear she heard in his voice broke her heart.

She switched off the scanner and turned her back, fighting back tears as she drew in a deep breath and prepared to give Rebel the worst possible news. As she turned to him he turned on his back and she pushed a button and raised the bed, enabling him to sit up.

"I can get up myself, I'm perfectly capable of standing too -"

"No," she said, "No, you should keep still. The laser misfired. It cut a micro fine wound that went deep into tissue. I can give you something to slow down the bleeding and you may improve in the short term - but there is no long term solution."

Rebel stared at her.

"But you can do something to repair the damage, can't you?"

She shook her head.

"I've spent months studying you and even longer studying the Seventh Doctor. Your regenerative systems are made up differently, mainly because your regeneration caused mutations. It is controllable for now but over time you will start to suffer the effects of the damage. You will eventually lose the vision in one or both eyes, you will suffer memory loss, confusion, weakness and eventual paralysis. And then..."

She stopped, seeing tears in his eyes.

"How long do I have?" he said quietly.

"I'm not sure," she told him, "Weeks...no more than a couple of months. I'm so sorry, Rebel I'm so very sorry."

He heard Riley stifle a sob and then Carla was holding him and he was clinging to her as he pressed his face against her shoulder and shed his own tears.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you," he said, "I was stupid, I thought I knew better..."

"No, don't blame yourself, you just wanted to have a better quality of life."

She drew back slightly and ran her hand over his hair as she looked into his eyes.

"It's going to be okay. No matter what happens you're not alone, you have me and Riley and we both love you."

Rebel thought about how he had held back on sharing his feelings with Carla, and he wanted to tell her he loved her too, but instead he just embraced her again, pressed his face against her shoulder and quietly wept.

Carla turned her head and saw Riley wiping away tears.

"Rebel," she said gently as she let go of him, "I have to set you up on an IV to slow the bleeding. You need to remain here in the lab for a couple of hours and then you can go back to your room and rest."

"And then what?" Fear reflected in his eyes and he sounded on the brink of panic.

"And then I'll see what I can do next," she said, "I didn't give up on the Seventh Doctor when he was sick and I'm _not_ going to give up on you either! Perhaps there is no more I can do – maybe I can't save you, but I'm going to try to keep you alive as long as I possibly can. But you _have_ to do as I say now, okay?"

He nodded as he blinked back more tears.

"No more stupid impulsive decisions... even though it's a bit late to be saying that."

"It's never too late," she told him, "Just know that I'll take good care of you, okay?"

"I know you will," he said quietly.

Riley was standing next to his bed.

"I'm here for you too," he reminded him.

"I'm sorry," Rebel said tearfully, "I never used to be like this – stupid, impulsive, taking so many chances..."

Carla's hand shook and she paused to take a breath and compose herself, and then she pushed up his sleeve and cleaned his arm.

"Don't blame yourself. You didn't know this would happen. Now hold still, I have to set up your IV."

"Do you want me to sit with you?" Riley said quietly.

"I'll be fine," Rebel replied, "I've been through worse and done it alone. I can handle a needle. I need some time alone, I need to think."

Riley nodded, and then he left the room.

* * *

Rebel took in a sharp breath as the needle bit deep into a vein.

"Almost done," Carla told him, "I'm going to get this set up and then I want you to rest for a couple of hours. It will help a great deal – in the short term. Just close your eyes and try to rest."

Rebel gave a sigh and shut his eyes as she hooked him up to the line.

"Rest?" he replied, "I'll get enough of that when I'm dead..."

"Don't think like that. I made you a promise and I'm going to keep it. I won't let you down."

"You may not have a choice...that's burning..."

"Only for a minute," she promised as she watched the fluid run into the needle taped to his arm, "The saline went first. This is the medication. You'll notice the sting wears off soon."

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"I _never _would have taken a chance like that if I'd known -"

"It's too late to blame yourself," she told him, "You have to concentrate on taking care of yourself, and letting me help you. Don't think about the end. It may not come for a long time – I'm certainly going to try and make sure you're around for as long as possible."

Emotion washed over him and there was so much he wanted to say but again it seemed as if the time was not right – and now, perhaps it never would be.

"Thank you," he said quietly, "I'm going to try and get some rest now."

"I'll come back and check on you soon, just lie still," she told him, and then she kissed his cheek and he wanted to reach for her, but instead he did nothing, waiting until she had left the room and then as his eyes filled with tears he wept quietly, wondering if it would have been better if the malfunctioning laser had killed him outright instead of leaving him to face a lingering death...

* * *

As the Doctor and Ace walked up the alley towards the dark blue Tardis with stained glass windows, the Doctor noticed sadness in the eyes of his wife.

"I know," he said, "I feel the same. We've got so much to thank him for. It's so unfair that he's in this situation. But he's always been a risk taker in every way, it's a consequence of his regeneration."

"So he can't help the way he is?"

"No," he replied, "Just like I enjoy playing spoons or juggling, he gets a kick out of getting high as a kite. It's part of his personality, he was put together with a big self destruct button and to a large extent he can't help taking the chances he takes. He saw the laser treatment as a quick solution. He knew about the risk but he did it anyway. Not that we can definitely say that choice a reflection of his flaws – maybe he would have chosen _any_ fast solution to end the constant sounds of pain and suffering that receptor picked up, regardless of his personality."

"Professor..."

Ace had stopped walking a short distance from the dark blue Tardis. He turned to her and looked intently at her.

"What's on your mind, Ace?"

"I'm not sure, Professor. Since I found out about Rebel...it sounds weird I know, but I keep thinking, that's _you_ – he's you a few lifetimes from now, I feel as if a part of you is dying..."

Pain reflected in her eyes and he reached out and tenderly brushed a tear from her cheek.

"Oh Ace, I know what you're saying. You can see me in him even though he's nothing like me. You feel the connection – more strongly than ever now you're having my baby."

"I'm afraid that a part of you is going to die. I don't want him to feel pain or to be afraid. I feel as if it's happening to you all over again, almost as if it's taking me back to those awful days when you were ill."

"Those days are gone. I'm cured, the Master's toxin was shocked out of my system a long time ago."

That pain was still reflecting in her eyes and it went deeper than any he had seen before, on their travels, before they had fallen in love.

"But I can't ever forget it! I can still remember you having those implants and then the anti toxin...I remember the day you came back and you looked so weak and tired..."

Her voice was breaking with emotion and the sound of it was breaking both his hearts.

"And now I'm better! And Rebel's situation is different to mine. I was poisoned. He's suffered an injury due to a malfunctioning laser. He won't go through the same ordeal I did. In fact there's probably very little anyone can do for him now."

And her eyes filled with tears again.

"That's what I mean! I feel as if I'm seeing you suffer all over again, because he _is_ you in another lifetime!"

The Doctor's expression softened and he gave her a gentle hug.

"Maybe it's a good thing you feel that way," he said, and then he took hold of her hand and turned back towards the dark blue Tardis. " Try and think positive. That's what he needs now, positivity around him."

"He won't have much to look forward to if Carla can't treat his injury."

Ace had spoken quietly.

The Doctor glanced at her as a sudden thought hit him.

"_Ace..."_

"What, Professor?"

He changed his mind, deciding some things were best left unsaid, at least for now...

"It's nothing that can't wait," he said, "Just try and be positive, that's all I wanted to say."

They had reached the door of the dark blue Tardis with stained glass windows.

The Doctor took out his own Tardis key to slide it into the lock, but Ace spoke up again.

"Are you sure you wasn't going to say something else?" she asked him.

He felt a prickle of guilt as he held back from the truth, knowing the time was not right for explanation.

"No, I was just thinking," he replied as he slid the key into the lock, "Rebel mentioned something about Stellar Eternus."

"Where's that?"

"Where indeed. Some say it's a myth, others believe it's a planet of ghosts, a place much like you would call Heaven."

"What's this Stellar Eternal place got to do with anything?" she asked him.

"Stellar _Eternus_!" he corrected her, "And I'm not entirely sure what it's got to do with anything – maybe nothing at all."

And then he turned the key in the lock and and he smiled at his wife as warmth shone in his eyes.

"Come on Ace," he said fondly, "Let's go and see Rebel, I'm sure we can find a way to cheer him up..."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As the Doctor and Ace stepped into the Tardis, Riley stood leaning against the console.

He looked up and quickly wiped tearful eyes with the back of his hand.

"Riley?" the Doctor said, "What's wrong?"

"I'd say you're too late – but he went too early. He sneaked out this morning and had the laser treatment. It went wrong. Carla says she can't save him. He's dying."

"I'm aware that future visitors were in the habit of coming back and trying to help the less fortunate using their own technology – they had good intentions but poor requirement. I can't say I blame him for taking such a risk, it must have been terrible to be so empathic that he could hear the whole of the universe in pain."

Riley nodded.

"I know that. I also know that's the reason why he turned to the blue. He's been in the habit of taking a lot of junk since his regeneration, but the blue, that was different. He wanted to block the receptor and there was no other way."

Then Riley gave another sob.

"But he's now dying...my best mate is dying!"

"_Riley – why don't you go back to your room for a while and calm down? It won't do him any good to see you worked up like this."_

Ace looked around sharply on hearing Carla's voice.

Riley nodded.

"Yeah...good idea. I'll do that."

As he walked away, Ace was still staring at Carla. She had expected to feel anger boiling up all over again after what had happened between her and the Professor – but knowing Rebel was so unwell had taken the edge off her resentment.

"Hello Ace," Carla said.

"Carla," she replied coldly, and then the Doctor spoke up, ending a moment between them that had cut an icy blast through the atmosphere in the console room.

"How is he?" he asked her.

As Carla looked into the eyes of the man who had once been her lover, she felt no ache for the past, her heart only ached for Rebel, the other version of the Doctor, the man she had grown to love and now stood to lose in the absence of a miracle...

"He had the receptor burned out with a short range laser. It misfired as those lasers often do and it has caused irreparable damage. The injury is visible on the scanner but so far he's only noticing minimal side effects. But the symptoms will worsen. I've given him some meds to slow down the bleeding. It should improve his condition in the short term. But I don't know how long he has left – a couple of months at the most. Maybe much less, maybe weeks..."

And she blinked away tears as she wrapped a thick shawl tighter about the shoulders of her heavy Victorian gown.

"I have to go out for a short while. Rebel's in the lab resting. Maybe you should go and sit with him, it could do him good to see you both."

Then she left the Tardis.

"I wonder where she's going?" Ace said, "He's seriously hurt – why is she walking out of here when he needs her the most?"

"Why indeed..." the Doctor replied, "I'm sure she has a good reason. Let's go and see Rebel, we can't leave him alone at a time like this."

And then they turned for the Tardis corridor, and the Doctor led the way.

* * *

As Carla Bailey walked through the streets of Victorian London, her rage began to build as she thought of the damage Rebel had suffered because of the laser scalpel. The more she thought of the owner of that scalpel, the harder it was to hold back her anger and control it. By the time she reached 13 Walton Square she was calm and composed but the level of rage that simmered beneath the surface alarmed her...

She rang the bell and a maid answered the door, and she explained she was returning to see Miss Tyrell and the matter was urgent.

After waiting for less than five minutes, she was showed to her office and the maid let her in and closed the door behind her.

And Annika looked up from her desk and smiled, and Carla felt like killing her, but instead she held back her anger just a short while longer as her heart ached unbearably for what Rebel had suffered, and was yet to suffer still thanks to her incompetence...

"Carla!" she said in surprise, "Good to see you again. How's the Doctor?"

She drew in a slow breath and replied calmly.

"He's resting. Actually I came to see you about something important to my studies."

Annika looked at her with interest.

"Your studies into what?"

"Into time travel devices used around 2350," she said, "I'd like to take a look at the device that takes you back to your own time."

"I don't see why not," she told her as she rose from her seat and went over to a painting of a landscape that hung on the wall. She slid it aside and opened up a hidden safe, then drew out a bracelet with a digital display.

"You can look but _don't_ touch – it's my only way out of here at the end of the month."

And she handed it to Carla, who then stepped back to put a distance between them as she held the bracelet in both hands and turned it over thoughtfully.

"_I'd better be careful with this thing," _she said as she looked at it, _"Can't have you getting stuck in 1888 with no chance of ever returning home, can we?"_

And Annika laughed nervously, unsure of the reason for the way Carla's voice had darkened all of a sudden.

"I'd definitely have no chance of getting back," she told her.

"_Just like Rebel has no chance because your laser misfired and left him dying from a slow bleed deep inside his brain."_

Annika stared at her.

"No, he was fine when he left here -"

"The damage didn't show up right away!"

"I warned him about the risk -"

"Well your equipment won't last forever without maintenance. Pretty soon your tools will be useless and that will be the end of your butchery in the name of doing good!"

And Carla snapped the bracelet, dropped it on to the carpet and stamped on it, grinding the heel of her Victorian boot into the time controls, smashing the device beyond repair.

Then she looked back at Annika, who was staring in horror at the shattered bracelet.

"_Enjoy your stay in 1888," _Carla said bitterly, _"You can never go back – this is your home now. Remember that when the tools are out of power and the funds run out and you're just another woman forced to turn to the workhouse for survival! Remember why this happened, because you killed the man I love!"_

Annika drew in a shallow breath as her face turned pale.

"But I didn't know...I thought the laser was safe, I tested it -"

"I _warned_ you about short range laser scalpels!"

"Maybe I can help him... you're a doctor too...we could work together."

Rage still burned in her eyes as she glared at her.

"And then what? Put him through major surgery that he won't survive? The injury is irreparable. It's also inoperable. _He's dying because of you!_"

Then she turned and headed for the door.

"Please don't leave me here!" Annika begged, and Carla gave no reply, leaving the room and walking down the hallway, then she went out of the door and kept on walking until Walton Square was far behind her, and all the way back to the Tardis the world was blurred with the tears that blinded her eyes.

* * *

Rebel had been sleeping as the line fixed to his arm slowly fed the medication into his body. As he heard the door open he woke up sharply, and then he looked in surprise at his visitors.

"Doctor, you're back. And Ace, it's so good to see you!"

He managed a smile at the sight of the woman he recalled as his wife from a regeneration so long ago.

"You're looking lovely," he added, "I remember, you always did..."

And then he looked to the Seventh Doctor and the light faded from his eyes.

"Carla says she can't help me. She's going to try because she's Carla and she doesn't give up on the Doctor... but I don't think she can win this time. I've got a couple of months at the most. _I'm dying_."

And Ace heard pain in his voice and saw it reflected in his eyes and her heart ached again.

The Doctor grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to the bed and sat down.

"Ace," he said thoughtfully, "Do you think you could go through to the Tardis kitchen and make some lemon tea for Rebel?"

And she nodded, guessing it was another one of those times when they needed to be alone to talk.

"I certainly can," she said and she left the room.

Now they were alone together, the Doctor spoke up again.

"You said you could see Stellar Eternus."

"That's right – it was on the star map. Not the whole planet, a misty outline."

The Doctor looked at him intently.

"There are many legends about Stellar Eternus. But you're my Fourteenth regeneration and that's the trouble with time and many lifetimes...we start to forget the things we ought to remember."

"I don't understand,"Rebel replied.

The Doctor explained some more:

"_It's the ethereal plane of existence in the hereafter for Time Lords and those bound to them by ties of blood and ties of marriage. They say only the brave can reach Stellar Eternus, the Valhalla of the hidden world,as is laid out in the ancient scriptures of Gallifrey. I'd say its very likely the wife of a Time Lord, who died trying to shield her children while a planet burned, would certainly deserve a place there."_

His eyes widened as he stared at the Doctor.

"You're saying its not a myth?"

"There's only one way to find out, Rebel. _You have to fight._ You have to use every ounce of your courage and strength to stay alive for as long as you can. Don't give in, _fight_. If you can match the courage she showed while the word around her burned, you will see her again, and your children."

And as he saw a spark of hope in Rebel's eyes, he smiled.

"That's right – you need to hold that hope in your hearts. Do you recall anything else about Stellar Eternus?"

Rebel shook his head.

"No, but what you just told me, yes, I recall that now I think there could be more but I don't remember it."

"You don't need to," he replied, "Just be strong and fight and don't give up. I'm sure you have much here in this life to hold on for."

"Well I'm very fond of Carla. In fact I know I love her, but it seems a bit late to say it now."

"It's never too late, Rebel. I was told I was terminal when I married Ace and look at me now - things don't always turn out the way you expect."

And the Doctor reached over and gave his hand a brief squeeze.

"Besides, you have to stay strong. Ace is giving birth in a matter of weeks. You want to see the baby, don't you?"

The thought of her unborn child brought the light back to his eyes.

"I do want to see her. I remember when I was you... the day she was born...was she born on Sabra?"

The Doctor paused, gathering his thoughts.

"It might be best if you don't let Ace know that. But yes, I can understand you'd want to see my child again - your child too. It's a way for you to relive the past, you can hold your daughter in your arms again."

His headache was fading as the medication started to work. Rebel rested against the pillows that cushioned him and then he smiled.

"I'd give anything to be you for one more day, to live my seventh life again, to wake up next to Ace -" And then he stopped, but on seeing the look of alarm in his eyes, the Seventh Doctor smiled.

"And I'd very much like to be safe in the knowledge that when I've regenerated several times over and I'm in my Fourteenth life and facing the very likely possibility of death, I'd get to hold Ace once again. I'd certainly look forward to that."

And he winked.

"What are you suggesting?" Rebel asked him.

"Oh, nothing...I just thought it would do us both good to think that Ace would be here for me now in my Seventh life _and_ in the future, in my Fourteenth. She cried over you when she found out what the laser treatment had done. She said she feels as if a part of me is injured. She feels everything so much more intensely now because she's carrying my – _our_ – child. I'm going to ask her if she would like to spend some time with you later on, would you like that?"

Rebel spoke cautiously.

"I don't want us to fall out...I may have got this wrong. Are you suggesting what I _think_ you are?"

He smiled.

"I might be, that's up to Ace. I'll ask her when we all arrive at Sabra."

"Sabra?" Rebel said, "The place you went when you were fighting the Master's toxin?"

"Yes," the Doctor replied thoughtfully as he leaned on the handle of his umbrella, "I'm going to suggest to Carla that we all go back to Sabra. If we arrive a short while after we previously left it will still be almost a year before Lexi sells the research centre."

"But why?"

Rebel still hadn't understood the reason and the Doctors voice softened as he spoke again.

"It's got a very advanced, fully equipped medical centre. Carla can take better care of you there, in the right kind of facility. And you won't be alone. Me and Ace are coming with you to keep you company."

"I don't want to spend the rest of my days in a room at the facility. I recall the time I visited you and -"

"And your case is different. You wont have to stay there, you can stay in the guest facilities. And there's a lab there too – far more advanced than the one Carla has here on board the Tardis. You never know, she may come up with a solution to your problem if she's got the right kind of equipment to work with."

"What's this?"

Carla had just walked into the lab.

She checked the IV and then began to disconnect it.

"I was suggesting that we might want to go back to Sabra," the Doctor said, "The facilities there are well equipped and the lab could be perfect for you to spend some time looking into better treatment options for Rebel. Me and Ace will come with you."

Carla nodded.

"Sounds like a good idea. I can't think of anywhere else I could do that kind of work – except on board the Cassadra-Aurora."

"No," the Doctor replied, "We can't go back there - you running into _you_, Carla? Too much of a changed time line already hangs in the balance. It would be too dangerous. We should go to Sabra."

"I'm up for that," Rebel said as he sat up and rubbed at his aching arm.

"How do you feel?" Carla asked him.

"Much better!" he said, "Perhaps we should just get back to normal for a while, maybe I'm cured now -"

"Your pupil is no longer blown and you look much better," she told him, "That tells me the medication has worked. But it won't buy you much time. The Doctor's right, we should go back to Sabra, we should do it now so I can get a detailed scan of what's going on inside your head."

He paused for a moment and she caught a flicker of apprehension in his eyes.

"I suppose we should go as soon as possible,"he said, "Could you let Riley know we're leaving?"

"Sure," Carla replied, and then she left the room.

Rebel made a move to stand up, but then he hesitated as he looked to his Seventh incarnation.

"_I realise if I go to Sabra I'll probably die there."_

The Doctor looked into his eyes.

"Remember Stellar Eternus," he said quietly, "Only the brave can get there – and its where you need to go."

Then he saw a spark of strength fire up in Rebel's eyes and he got up quickly and rolled down his sleeve, covering the dressing taped over the puncture wound in his arm.

"Right then," he said, "Sabra it is. Lets go back to the console room, I have to set the Tardis on a new course."

And as they left the lab, Ace called back to the Professor, and both men stopped walking.

"I just made this for you," she said.

"Thank you,"Rebel replied taking the cup of lemon tea from her hand,"Just what I needed..."

And then he turned away and walked briskly up the corridor.

"He's looking better all of a sudden!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, he's got something to hope for – it's amazing what hope can do."

The look in her eyes said she had many questions, but he took her by the hand and they walked on, hurrying to catch up with Rebel.

* * *

As the Doctor and Ace entered the console room, Carla and Riley watched as Rebel set coordinates.

"We'll be along soon in our own Tardis," the Doctor told him, "See you soon, Rebel."

"I'm glad you're both coming with me," he replied.

As they reached the door Ace looked back over her shoulder.

"Take care, Rebel," she said kindly, and for a reason he could not explain his twin hearts raced for a brief moment.

"I'll try," he promised her, and then he looked down at the console once more.

Then Ace and the Doctor left the Tardis.

As he closed the door and they walked away, Ace glanced back again as she heard the wheeze of rushing wind, and then she saw the dark blue Tardis with stained glass windows fade in and out of sight, and then it vanished.

"I hope he makes it okay...I mean, is it advisable to travel through time with an injury like that?"

"Ace, he can handle the trip to Sabra. And we're going to meet him there."

They walked on to the streets of Victorian England, crossed the road and then carried on walking, heading for a quiet, shady corner of the local churchyard where their own Tardis was concealed.

"I feel so emotional about going back there," Ace said as they neared the Tardis, "So many memories...and I feel so upset about Rebel!"

The Doctor unlocked the door and they went inside.

As the doors closed,shutting out Victorian England, Ace took in a deep breath and blinked tired eyes as she looked at her Professor.

"I need to lie down. Have I got time?"

He glanced up from the console and smiled.

"Of course you have, I'm taking the slow route. I know you need to rest."

She smiled.

"Thanks Professor," she said, pausing to rub her aching back, and then Ace left the console room, heading for the bedroom and a much needed lie down.

* * *

The Doctor set the course and then the Tardis took off, making its familiar whoosh as it faded, and then vanished from Victorian England and set off on a new course through time and space towards the far off planet of Sabra.

Then as the Tardis began a slow and relaxed journey on its course, the Doctor left the console room, went down the Tardis corridor and quietly opened the bedroom door.

Ace had taken off her Victorian dress and thrown on an old T shirt, and now she was in bed on her side, and she opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of her Professor slipping off his jacket.

"It should take a couple of hours to get to Sabra. I'll come and lie down with you."

He draped his jacket over a chair by the mirrored dresser, and then he got on to the bed and lay next to her, on his side, looking into her eyes as he put his arm around her.

"You look so beautiful," he said softly, "And I'm so proud to think you're carrying my child. I love you both."

Love reflected in her eyes.

"And we love you too – me and little Ace."

The Doctor paused, and then he spoke again, carefully, as he shared his thoughts:

"Ace, you know I said there was nothing on my mind - well there is. I was thinking, Rebel told me he wished he could be me for one more day, to live this life again."

"He probably wishes he could do that because the past is a safe place to go - no nasty surprises waiting to jump out at him."

"No," he replied, "He told me he wanted one more day to be close to you. He can remember being _me_, being married to _you_. It was one of the happiest times of all his regenerations. He even wants to fight to stay around just to see the baby when she's born. He remembers being me, holding my daughter for the first time. He wants to relive that."

Ace was confused.

"Okay...so you're saying...um...I _think_ you mean he wants to be there at the birth? Well he is you, I know that, I feel it, too – it's weird, I feel so much for him these days..."

The Doctor smiled as he looked at her fondly.

"No, I don't mean like that. He doesn't want to be there at the birth. He just wants some special time with the woman who was once his wife. Who was at the time, the _only_ love of his life."

And Ace stared at him.

"What are you saying, Professor?"

"I'm saying he needs to have something to fight for. He needs to be made to feel like he's still alive. He's dying, Ace. I'm dying because he_ is_ me many regenerations from now. And I know for a fact I want to know that eventually, when I become him, I'll have one day to look forward to, when I can hold you in my arms again, to remind me I can still be strong. It makes the coming lifetimes easier to bear, knowing I don't have to dread his end because I will see you again, I'll hold you again."

She stared at him.

"Professor, you know I wouldn't -"

"This is different! It's not like my Ninth life suggesting you sleep with him to get over my fertility problem. This is about the man who healed me, the man I become one day – it could be his final days. Rebel is a very damaged man. He's lost so much and been through so much. He's afraid of the end. I don't want to feel that way when I become him, Ace."

"What are you asking me to do?" she said in a hushed voice.

He ran his hand gently over her hip as he held her in his gaze.

"I think you know."

"No, I don't."

"Yes you do because you're blushing and there's no need. He's me and you know it. You feel it. And it would be better for him _and_ for me many years from now if you followed your instinct._ If you listened to your heart._"

Her eyes were wide as she considered all he had said.

"You're asking me to...to..."

"I want you to wait for the right time, when he's comfortable on Sabra, while he's still well enough to be able to hold you...And then I want you to go to him, Ace. I want you to hold him and remind him you still love him - you still love _me_, the Doctor, and you always will. I don't want to know what happens between you. _I'd rather wait another seven regenerations to find out – it will certainly give me something to look forward to in my darkest hours_."

Confusion still clouded her eyes.

"I'm not sure...I'll think about it," she said quietly, "I need to get some sleep, Professor."

And then Ace closed her eyes and the Doctor held her close, but as she tried to rest, sleep would not come as she felt a strange mix of excitement and guilt as she thought of Rebel and what her Professor had asked her to do...


	9. Chapter 9

Phantoms Chapter 9

Rebel stood alone in the console room as he looked out at the view of space filled with stars. The planet of Sabra was slowly looming closer and as he focused on it his sense of unease grew.

He thought of the star map - no matter how many times he looked at it, the outline of the glowing planet no one else could see remained.

Then he thought of the advice his Seventh regeneration had given – to fight, to be courageous, because it would be the only sure way to reach Stellar Eternus...

And suddenly he couldn't hold back his tears.

"_Rebel?"_

Her voice was gentle and as she touched his shoulder he turned and looked at Carla.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "I'm not very good at holding myself together in a crisis. It's not every day I find out my life is about to end."

And she wasn't sure if he was pale from the shock of learning such devastating news, or if his black clothing simply made him look washed out after shedding so many tears.

"I've been thinking about the equipment at the medical centre on Sabra and I do recall they have micro fine surgical instruments for treating difficult wounds. I'm not sure if it's possible, I wont know until I scan you at the lab – but I may be able to carry out a procedure that involves inserting a fine cable to cauterise the worst of the bleeding. It would mean passing a thin wire into the wound. And I've yet to calculate the risk involved, but if it can be done and you're willing to try, we might be able to seal off the damaged vessels."

"Will it save my life?"

"I will most likely have to stop before we even get the wire in there. But there's a small chance."

Rebel's hearts were racing as he looked into her eyes and started to break out in a sweat.

"I don't like the sound of it. But if there's a chance, I have to take it."

She saw fear in his eyes, but also determination. He was going to fight, he had made his mind up now...

"I won't take any unnecessary risks," she promised him, "If it can be done, you will be conscious and that wire will be coming out at the first sign of a problem."

His voice trembled as he spoke again.

"Conscious? Can't you just knock me out, it would be better for me not to know about any of this."

"I can't do that. I have to be sure I'm not causing more damage with the wire. I'm hoping I can use a robotic control to insert the cable. It will be precise, but I still can't take chances."

Rebel forced a smile even though his eyes had become glassy with tears.

"Can't we just get drunk tonight and play around in my bedroom? I know it won't solve anything but it would definitely take my mind off all of this."

She smiled too.

"You're after a spanking at a time like this?"

"I'll go first," he joked, "I'll spank you. As long as you return the favour and do it twice as hard to me!"

And he blinked and tears ran down his face.

"It's no good – I can't even joke about sex now. I can't think about anything. I don't even want to get wasted in case it's too dangerous. I wish I could just lose myself in a big dose of blue and forget everything -"

"And that would definitely be too dangerous," she told him, "the rush from a massive dose would kill you."

"What about a small dose? My nerves are ripped to pieces."

"You know I don't approve, but a _very_ small dose won't hurt if you remain stable. But not yet. You need to get this procedure over with first."

He nodded and wiped his eyes.

"Of course, I know this changes everything. _And I don't want to land the Tardis. I don't want to go to Sabra_."

Then he turned away and walked over to the console, took the brick off the accelerator and slowed speed, and then he put in a landing sequence.

As the ship gave out the sound of rushing wind and the view of space turned to view of a bright blue sky and green fields, he turned away from the console and Carla was waiting for him holding out her arms, and he gratefully clung to her, pressing his face against her shoulder as he closed his eyes and held her tightly, afraid to let go because he knew it was time to leave his ship and set foot on the planet he would most likely never leave again...

* * *

As the Seventh Doctor's Tardis landed, Ace stood by the viewing screen and looked out across the green fields, not too far away she saw the research facility – still the only building on the soon-to-be-colonised planet.

Then she recalled all that had happened the last time they came here and her heart ached as she turned back to the Doctor.

"I never knew it would hit me so hard," she said quietly, "The memories... I feel like it was yesterday."

He shut down the Tardis controls and smiled as he looked at her.

"Ace, that is in the past now. I'm fine, and you're fat -"

Her eyes narrowed but then he saw a sparkle of amusement there, banishing her sadness.

"Oi Professor, if I'm fat it's _your _fault!"

He chuckled.

"I was only teasing, Ace. You look beautiful, pregnant and beautiful and I won't tease you again!"

"You'd better not," she joked, "I know where I left the baseball bat..."

And then they stepped out of the Tardis and as they stood in the sunshine looking across lush green fields while the sun shone down set in a sky that seemed impossibly blue, she turned her head and looked at him.

"You're right – it was a long time ago. Look at you now, it's hard to believe you ever got that ill in the first place. It's like it never happened."

They began to walk across the field towards the only building on the planet.

The air was warm and sweet and Ace smiled as she glanced at her Professor.

He noticed her smiling and he smiled too.

"This time you can see real beauty here. That's good."

"Strange how memories can have such an effect," Ace told him as she thought about the emotions that had hit her as they landed.

"Yes," he said thoughtfully, so it's all the more important to make _good _ones. Have you given any more thought to my suggestion?"

They were still walking and he caught a flicker of reluctance in her expression.

"I want to give you memories to look forward to, Professor. I want to help Rebel too, because he _is_ you. That's the only reason why I'm going to do this."

The Doctor stopped walking and looked into her eyes.

"Thank you, Ace," he said softly, "This means so much to me – you'll give him something to live for and me something to look forward to some day. When this body is worn out and I've regenerated over and over and one day become him, I'll know I get to hold you again. That's something to look forward to."

She slowly smiled, and then she turned back towards the research centre, and they carried on walking.

"But I don't want anyone to know," she added, "We should keep it quiet."

"I'm sure Rebel will feel the same way. He's very close to Carla – well, he was getting close to her – but now he feels its too late. He needs you, Ace. He needs to be reminded how it once felt to be me."

"I think you're right about that," she told him, and suddenly she felt better about her decision – there seemed to be no reason to refuse his request, but she could see so many reasons why she ought to go ahead and do it...

* * *

They reached the entrance to the building and the Doctor rang the bell.

The door was opened quickly by Lexi, who wore a yellow bikini that made the most of her golden suntan. Her hair was tied back and long gold earrings sparkled and caught the sun as she moved.

"And another Doctor's come to visit!" she exclaimed, "Listen, I'm sorry to hear about your friend – Carla took Rebel up to the medical centre and Riley went with them. Their Tardis is out the back. Come in, both of you."

And she stepped back and the Doctor and Ace went inside.

Lexi led them down a hallway and through to a large living room. Here wide patio doors were open and led to a paved area. The eel was gone, the tank was gone, and in its place was a garden with a large swimming pool.

"We decided to buy this place," Lexi said, "We got out of the eel scam and decided to settle here. We've had most of it converted into hotel accommodation – but we still have the lab and the medical centre. It's a great place to live. And Venx _loves_ the pool!"

And she turned her head, and then waved to her Sontaran boyfriend who was on the diving board. He waved back with his three fingers, and Ace looked – then wished she didn't...

"Awww," Lexi gushed, "He's so sweet! And he loves to swim naked!"

"Urggh!" Ace exclaimed as Venx jumped up and down and did it again, making everything jiggle, before he hit the water with a splash.

The Doctor turned sharply to his wife.

"What's wrong? Is it the baby?"

Ace shook her head.

"No," she said in a hushed voice, "I just didn't need to see _that _sight again..._naked Sontaran!_"

The Doctor smiled and then looked back at Lexi, who was still talking.

"Guest accommodation is on the third floor - "

"We'll find the way," the Doctor said to her, and then he turned away and so did Ace, and they made their way towards a lift at the end of the hall.

* * *

On the second floor, Riley was standing in a room with pale walls that he recognised as the same place the Seventh Doctor had stayed in, and he was leaning against the wall by the window eating a chocolate bar.

"I'm going to try that vending machine again later," he said, "I'm glad it's still here – last time I paid for one bar and two came out. I bet I'll get lucky again..."

And neither Carla nor Rebel were listening.

"If you want to get comfortable I'll set up another IV to keep the bleeding under control," she told him, "You'll have to stay here tonight but I'll scan you again in the morning and then we can try the surgery. You really don't have to worry so much – I won't take any unnecessary risks with your life, you have to believe that."

Rebel looked around at the blank walls and the bed by the window and then he sat down.

"I wanted to stay in the guest accommodation."

"You can once the treatment is out of the way."

"I don't want to be here," he said in a hushed voice.

Carla looked at him sympathetically.

"You're not stuck in here forever. Just lie back and take your shirt off and get comfortable and I'll give you the IV treatment, then you can get some sleep."

Rebel looked reluctantly at Riley.

"I'm not sure I want to do this."

Riley gave a sigh.

"Mate, you can't run away from it. The damage is inside you and it's going to get worse a lot quicker without treatment."

"I know you're right."

Rebel took off his jacket and then unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off and handed it to Riley, who draped the clothing over the back of a chair.

"I feel trapped," Rebel said quietly, and then he drew in a sharp breath as he sat back on the bed, leaning against pillows as Carla began to prepare his arm for the needle.

"It's funny, but I can pay for a horsewhipping and enjoy it but I'm bloody hating every minute of this! Especially the needle!"

"It's a different situation," Carla reminded him. He gave a sharp cry of pain as she pushed the needle in.

"Sorry, but at least that's the worst part over with."

Riley watched as Carla set up the line and he swore he could feel the pain that registered on Rebel's face as the fluid began to run into his arm.

"It's burning again," he said as he started to break out in a light sweat.

"And it won't last," Carla reminded him, "There's sedative in this too so it should help you sleep for a while."

"I think I'll get in bed," Rebel said, and he felt thankful for Carla's help as she unbuckled his belt and helped him take off the rest of his clothing.

"I'm surprised you never got them pierced seeing as you like pain so much," Riley remarked, indicating with his half eaten chocolate bar to Rebel's bare chest.

And Rebel looked down, then back at Riley as his eyes widened.

"_Don't_ do that!"

Riley took another bite of the chocolate.

"Do what?"

"_Don't_ stare at my nipples!"

"I'm not!"

Carla laughed softly.

"I don't think he was staring, Rebel..."

"You'd better not be!" he exclaimed, "I'm strictly girls only in this regeneration, I'm absolutely sure about it!"

"But I wasn't – I mean I wouldn't -"

Rebel turned his thoughts to another matter.

"Are you sure you can perform this surgery alone? Maybe we ought to send the other Doctor back to fetch Annika, you might need some help."

And she looked at him sharply. He caught a flicker of guilt on her eyes.

"What's that look for?" he said suspiciously, "What have you done, Carla?"

And she felt caught out as he held her in his ice blue stare.

"She's the one who did this to you. I'd _never_ let her near you again, and no, we _don't _need her!"

Rebel gave a sigh.

"_Tell me..."_

"I went to see her before we left. I smashed her time locator. I left her stuck in 1888."

"What did you do_ that _for?"

"Rebel, don't get worked up. I was angry, she's hurt you, what she's done with that laser will most likely kill you, what did you expect me to do?"

He was genuinely surprised to learn of her actions.

"I didn't expect you to do that!" he exclaimed.

"_Do what? Have we missed something?"_

The Seventh Doctor had walked into the room with Ace.

As he stood there and saw Rebel in the bed he had once occupied, hooked up to a line as he started his fight for survival, his own memories of painful days spent here in this room came flooding back.

But then Rebel spoke up again and banished all thoughts of his own bad memories.

"Carla decided to take revenge on Annika by smashing her time control device. She's stranded in Victorian England!"

"So we need to go back, take her out of there and back to her own time. No problem. I'll do it."

And the Doctor glanced at Carla.

"You're coming with me. I need someone to queue up back in her time to return the broken controller, it can't be left in 1888. You're the one who smashed it..."

"You're going back with Carla?"

Ace had tried to sound calm, but the look in her eyes told a different story.

"_And Riley," _he added, _"Riley's coming too."_

Then Ace smiled.

The Doctor leaned closer and looked into her eyes fondly.

"I'm sure you're _more_ than capable of taking care of Rebel while we're gone. We should be back in around two hours."

And he playfully touched her nose and gave her a wink, and she read the look in his eyes correctly and as she blushed, he smiled.

"Good girl," he said warmly, "I know you'll take good care of him."

Carla left his bedside and joined the others at the doorway.

"The IV won't need to come out yet," she said, "I'll be back in good time to remove it."

"You take it easy, Rebel," the Doctor said warmly, "Ace is a great nurse. I remember when I was recovering from the toxin, she did wonders for me."

And Ace recalled him giving a sigh as she slipped under the covers and gently kissed him, those kisses growing more intimate as she welcomed him home on the day he returned from Sabra...

"Yeah, yeah, I'm nothing special," she said, blushing as she looked at her husband.

The Doctor smiled.

"See you soon, Ace," he told her, and then he left and Riley and Carla followed, leaving Ace and Rebel alone together, just as the Professor had planned...

* * *

Ace waited until she heard the lift doors closing and then she shut the door to his room and took a seat next to his bed.

"Are you all right, Rebel? You look really scared."

"I am scared," he admitted, "I'm worried about so many things...stupid things, some of them...I just don't want to talk about any of it..."

"You can talk to me about anything," she told him, "I'll listen."

And he smiled.

"That's very kind of you, Ace. Don't sit on that chair, come and sit on the bed, sit up here with me."

And she got up and sat on the edge of his bed, and then she giggled.

"The Professor asked me to give you a bit of a cuddle...he said it would be nice for you, and something for him to look forward to one day, when he _is_ you."

Rebel laughed softly and for a brief moment the sorrow in his eyes was replaced by a flash of amusement.

"He said the same thing to me!"

Ace looked into his eyes, and his smile faded as he thought back many regenerations long gone, to a time when she had been his wife and he had been in his Seventh lifetime...

"I always thought you were pretty," he said softly, "I remember, he loved you from the moment he laid eyes on you. But he didn't tell you, not for years. He waited and waited...I wouldn't have done that. I would have taken you off ice world and..."

He stopped, smiling as he fell silent.

"And what?" she asked as playfulness shone in her eyes.

Rebel blushed and shook his head.

"Oh, I don't know...I would have kissed you...that same day, I would have kissed you I would taken you in my arms and -"

"And swept me into your arms and said, _Kiss me, Miss McShane?_"

"Maybe...something like that."

Rebel was blushing too as he looked away. Then the look in his eyes became serious again as he met her gaze.

"I'm having an operation tomorrow," he said quietly, "Carla thinks she can run a wire through the wound and stop some of the bleeding. It's dangerous. I have to be awake for it too – I really don't want to do it. And I'm not just scared of the risk, I'm scared of stupid things too, like will I lose my hair for this surgery? I like my hair..."

And he ran his fingers through his glossy dark hair as a flash of anxiety came to his eyes.

"I haven't asked her about it. I'm too scared to ask. I keep thinking about silly things like that and crying...I'm not very good at being brave, am I...not like your Professor. He can handle anything."

"He struggled with the anti toxin," she told him, "And you've got every right to be scared, and to worry about what this surgery will do to you. And you have got lovely hair, I can understand you're worried you might lose it."

And Ace reached up and gently ran her hand over his soft dark hair.

"If you don't want to ask about the surgery, I'll ask for you. I'll get all the information and explain it to you. Would that be better for you?"

"Yes, that would definitely help," he told her, and as she drew her hand away he caught it and kissed it.

"_Thank you Ace."_

Their eyes met.

Ace leaned in closer and so did Rebel, and their lips touched softly.

As they kissed she felt his arm sliding around her, the other was at his side as the IV fed the medication into his body, but she shifted closer to make the embrace easier, and then she closed her eyes and welcomed his advances as their kiss deepened.

She got up next to him on the bed and turned on her side, breaking off from their kiss as she ran her hand down his chest.

"If I wasn't pregnant I'd really give you something to remember – something for the Professor to remember when he becomes you!"

Her hand slid over his chest, and she playfully pinched his right nipple.

He caught his breath.

"I could take a lot of that...I love pain when I'm turned on...and giving it out...I can dominate if I need to..."

"You're not dominating me!" she said, and kissed the centre of his chest, then kissed the same nipple she had pinched, before gently biting it.

Rebel was flushed and breathless as he looked into her eyes.

"Don't stop now, Ace...I'm so excited..."

And he grabbed her hand and pushed it beneath the covers.

As she found her own way, sliding her hand further down his body and caressing him firmly, Rebel drew in a slow breath and closed his eyes as he let the sensation wash over his senses, blocking out all else but the moment.

Ace pushed the covers down and shifted closer to him, kissing him gently as she pleasured him, then his kisses grew harder as he held her and trembled in her arms.

"_Oh Ace don't stop...don't..."_ he was breathless as he gave a gasp and then he relaxed weakly back against his pillows.

Ace smiled as she ran her hand up his body and placed a gentle kiss on his tattooed chest.

"How do you feel now?" she asked him.

"Like I want to thank your Professor! I can't believe he asked you to do this, I feel like...like..."

Surprise registered in his eyes.

"I feel like _life _just flowed back into me! I know that sounds crazy but I do, I feel as if you've just reminded me how good it feels to be alive!"

Ace smiled.

"He wanted you to feel like that. And so did I. And one day, he will be you, reliving this moment. So you both win. And so do I."

She leaned closer and kissed him again, he wanted to kiss her a second time but she shifted back, sat up and then looked down at the bed and quickly grabbed some tissues from a box at his bedside.

"Now I think nurse Ace had better clean up your mess!" she said teasingly, and Rebel laughed, even though the fluid running into his arm was still burning.

"This is insane! I came here feeling like I had nothing left to hope for. Now I feel so different!"

Ace looked into his eyes.

"See?" she said to him, "Life isn't always the doom and gloom you expect it to be. You thought you'd come here with nothing but despair waiting for you. That's the difference a good memory can make."

He smiled back at her, but then his smile faded as he started to worry again.

"I might not live long enough to keep this memory."

Ace shifted close to him once more and put her arm around him.

"Yeah, yeah, what ever... drop the doom and gloom, Rebel – anything is possible. You have to remember that. It's not the end yet. And I'm going to sit here with you till the Professor gets back."

"Thanks," he said, and held her a little tighter, "I mean, for all of this – I said to the Doctor I wished I could be him for one more day, to hold you one last time..."

He was getting emotional again.

Ace gave him a gentle kiss and ran her fingers through his hair as she looked at him fondly.

"And you get to hold me for a long time," she promised, "They won't be back for another hour, and I won't let you go."

Rebel gave a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

"Thank you Ace," he said quietly, and then as the sedatives finally kicked in, he drifted off to sleep and Ace kept her promise, holding him in her arms as he slept until she heard the lift doors open in the corridor beyond, and then she gently let go of him and got up and folded the covers up to his waist, then she sat in the chair next to his bed and watched him sleeping as she waited for the Professor to walk into the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Rebel opened his eyes to see Carla at his side disconnecting the IV line.

"How do you feel?" she asked him.

"Tired," he replied, "Is that good or bad?"

"It's understandable," she said, and then Ace spoke up.

"He's been asleep for almost an hour. And we had quite a chat before then, didn't we, Rebel?"

And she smiled and he caught a look in her eyes that brought it all back to him, her touch, her kiss, and that spark of life that had revived him when she held him in her arms seemed to work its magic all over again.

He smiled back at her.

"We certainly did," he agreed warmly.

Then he looked around the room and noticed the Doctor and Riley were missing.

"Where's the Doctor?"

"He's gone back to the Tardis. Riley's a bit upset, worried about you...so he said he'd show him the console and how the controls are different to the ones in your Tardis," Ace told him.

Rebel laughed.

"They certainly are different – I've got a cracked communications screen and a broken accelerator!"

Then Ace looked into his eyes as she sat down in the chair next to his bed once more.

"You were asleep when they came back. I've spoken to Carla about the surgery."

Carla was leaving the room, and as she walked out he lowered his voice.

"What did she say?"

"She said it's risky and she's going to stop the procedure at the first sign of possible trouble. So you're quite safe. And you won't lose your hair."

As she spoke she ran her fingers through his hair, gently tracing a thin line over the laser wound with her fingertip.

"There's a small area here that needs to be shaved – but it won't notice, your hair will hide it. So don't worry, okay?"

Then Ace leaned over him and straightened his blankets and gave him an unexpected kiss on the cheek.

"Now try and relax. And if you want someone to come with you tomorrow when you have the procedure, the Professor is more than happy for me to hold your hand."

"Tell him thank you for the offer, but I have to cope with this on my own."

"No you don't!" Ace told him, "Don't be silly! I don't blame you for being scared. You need someone there, and Carla can't do it, she's the one operating. You shouldn't go through this on your own, the Professor's right."

"No I'll be fine," he promised her, "I feel a lot better now – I've got you to thank for that."

They said nothing for a brief moment as she looked at him and he looked at her and warmth flowed between them.

"I'd better get some rest now," Rebel said, and he smiled again and then he watched as Ace left the room.

Then the door closed and he shut his eyes as he settled back not daring to think about what tomorrow would bring, as his thoughts remained firmly in the time he had spent with Ace, in her arms, living one more day as if he was back in his Seventh life...

* * *

As evening shadows fell over Sabra, Ace sat on a wide padded seat on the the balcony of the guest room while the Doctor sat beside her. They had watched the sun set together and Ace had been quiet, in fact she had been quiet since she had spent time alone with Rebel...

"Something on your mind?" he asked her.

Ace was still watching the last of the light fade from the sinking sun as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"We had a nice time," she said quietly, "Certainly enough for you to look forward to reliving several regenerations from now... He's trying so hard to be brave about all this. But he's terrified. He's not strong like you."

"I'm sure he is," the Doctor replied, "He just doesn't show it. But inside, he's strong. He's going to hold on as long as he can. I haven't given up on him yet. I've travelled time and space and heard much along the way. _I've heard all about the man dressed in black who brings peace to a warring nation and defeats a terrible enemy_."

Ace turned her head and looked at him.

"That hasn't happened yet..."

He smiled.

"Exactly! _I've also heard about a rather daring Time Lord who took on a new breed of Cybermen and liberated a planet, a man who wears rather colourful and striking clothing, and carries with him the scent of burnt volcanic rock powder.._."

Ace stared at him.

"Rebel? But it can't be him, he's always in black -"

"There is more," the Doctor remarked, _"He is the brave one, the one fears nothing. And he's also the one who sacrifices everything for love."_

Confusion clouded her eyes.

"I don't get it, Professor."

"I hear a lot on my travels," he said again, "But of course, I don't know everything."

She gave him a knowing look.

"Yeah right! You know a _lot _more than you let on!"

"And I'm being open with you now, I told you, I always will be. Old habits die hard. But I'm trying my best."

"_Sometimes I wonder..."_

Warmth sparkled in his eyes and he softly kissed her.

"Come on Ace," he said, "Let's go to bed."

"Good idea," she replied, and he helped her up and then put his arm around her and they went through to the bedroom as the last of the sun dipped from view and shadows fell across the planet of Sabra.

* * *

Carla worked until late in the lab, making the most of being around the kind of equipment she needed to do her research.

Then she accessed the records she had compiled on the Doctor while she was treating the effects of the Master's toxin. And then Carla stared at the screen as she read through old notes and something came together in her mind...

"I wonder..." she said, and set up a sequence to simulate her theory.

As she watched the DNA patterns merge, her hopes began to rise.

And Carla Bailey, who would never give up on the Doctor, stayed up until the middle of the night working on her theory, and when she finally went to bed exhausted, she felt hopeful:

_Perhaps it was a cure, perhaps not._

_But she had certainly found a way to give Rebel a fighting chance now..._

* * *

"It's almost nine in the morning. Come on mate, open your eyes..."

Rebel felt tired as he slowly woke up from a sleep that had been much deeper than usual due to the sedation.

Riley was sitting next to his bed.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

Rebel sat up and leaned against his pillows.

"Tired but okay, I think..."

"I've been waiting for you to wake up," Riley told him, and then he ran his hand through his hair and blinked several times as he tried not to let his emotions take over, "I've got some news for you – it's sort of good. Carla's not operating. She's working on another idea that she thinks might help you."

His eyes widened in surprise and then he started to smile.

"Oh that's great news! I can get out of here and stay in the guest accommodation at last -"

"Not yet. Carla's coming to speak with you in a little while. She needs to speak to the other Doctor first."

"Why?" Rebel was properly awake now, and Riley's remark had made little sense.

"What does my Seventh self have to do with my problem? He can't do anything about it."

"I'm a toxicologist. That's my science. I don't know much else. It's better if Carla explains."

Rebel looked at him with suspicion.

"Now I'm getting worried."

"It's nothing major," Riley said, "She just told me she thinks she can do something with tissue...brain tissue."

Rebel's eyes grew wider.

"That sounds even worse than putting a tiny wire inside my head! _Nothing major?_"

"Well I'm not a surgeon," Riley added, "What do I know? Bugger all about it, that's what I know! And now I'm going to shut up before you get scared."

"Too late for that!"

Riley gave a sigh.

"Don't get worked up until you've got a reason. Speak to Carla first. She won't be long, she's just gone to talk to the Doctor. Then she's coming to talk to you."

"She can talk to me," he said with reluctance, "But it doesn't mean I'll agree to it..."

Riley gave Rebel's hand a brief squeeze.

"Don't worry mate," he said, "It's going to be okay, I'm here, you're not on your own."

"Thank you, I know you're here for me," Rebel replied, and then he fell silent as he wondered if Carla's new plan would frighten him even more than the one that involved shoving a wire inside his head...

* * *

Ace and the Doctor were in their guest apartment having breakfast together when Carla knocked on the door.

As she walked in she apologised at once.

"I'm sorry, I can come back if it's not a good time -"

Ace sipped a glass of orange juice and set it down on the table.

"No, it's fine. Just say what you need to say, Carla."

The Doctor put down his knife and fork and set his plate aside, focussing on Carla, who stood there awkwardly.

"What is it?" he asked her.

She stepped closer to the table.

"Mind if I sit down?"

"Go ahead," he replied.

Carla sat down and looked across the table at Ace and the Doctor.

"I was looking over some old records of yours from when you had the anti toxin treatment here. And I came across something that gave me an idea. I've run a simulation on the computer several times and there's a pretty good chance it could work...I'm sorry, I'm not putting this across clearly - I _think_ I've found a treatment that might give Rebel a chance."

"A chance to live longer?" Ace asked her.

"No, the chance of a cure, I've found a way to possibly repair the damage done by the laser."

The Doctor looked at her with interest.

"And what does this cure involve? Because he's a lot weaker than he looks. He's bleeding internally and that injury could prove fatal sooner than expected if he was put through anything too harsh."

"Let me explain," Carla said, "You and Rebel have identical DNA, because you're the same person, just in different regenerations. The difference between you is, Rebels regeneration went slightly wrong. His DNA is mutated. But yours isn't."

The Doctor leaned on the table and looked at her intently.

"So what are you proposing?"

"If you're willing to help, I could remove a small amount of tissue from you, the healthy donor, and inject it directly into the wound. The simulation suggested that Rebel's own DNA would take over, trying to heal the non mutated cells, because it would see it as alien even though its an unmutated form of his own tissue – from _you_. It would cause rapid healing to kick in and hopefully heal the wound from the laser."

Ace frowned.

"No, I can't let you do this...it could be dangerous for the Professor."

And he looked at her in surprise.

"I'll be the judge of that, Ace. Carla knows all about my anatomy, I'm sure she wouldn't put me at risk..."

"_I bet she knows all about your anatomy..."_ Ace muttered, and a flash of annoyance briefly lit up the Doctor's eyes.

"Don't you trust me?" Carla asked her.

Ace looked at her across the table.

"To perform a procedure? Oh, yes, I trust you for _that_...sorry, I wasn't sure what you meant for a moment..."

Carla gave a sigh.

"Please can we put the past behind us? This is for Rebel."

"She's right," the Doctor said, and Ace lowered her gaze as she fell silent.

"It's very safe surgery for you, Doctor," Carla told him, "You will wake up afterwards and feel fine and be recovered the same day. But it's going to be a very different matter for Rebel. He's got to have the tissue injected deep into the wound and he's going to be on life support afterwards. It will take him several weeks to get over the procedure completely and even then the graft could fail. It's a chance, but it's better than nothing."

The Doctor thought for a moment.

"Then we should do it," he said, "Because he doesn't have any other options."

Ace looked up from the table.

"Are you sure about this, Professor?"

He looked into her eyes and saw such worry reflected that he wanted to hug her.

Instead he patted her hand.

"I'll be fine. It's Rebel we should be concerned about."

Ace nodded.

"I know that," she replied quietly.

Carla got up from the table.

"Then I'll go and explain the process to Rebel. And I'll need to go back to 1888 in the Tardis and see Annika. She has a great deal of micro fine materials and I don't have a micro-fine needle long or narrow enough for the surgery."

The Doctor looked at her in surprise.

"What makes you think she'll help you after what you did to her time control device?"

"Oh, she _will _help," she replied, "Guilt will force her do that."

And then she left the room.

Worry clouded her eyes as Ace looked into the eyes of her Professor and she recalled the heartache of seeing him go through so much pain as he fought the Master's toxin.

"I hope it is as simple as she said."

The calm reply he gave eased her fears.

"I'm sure it will be," he told her, "Like she said, it's very simple for me – it's Rebel who will be taking the biggest risk."

And she nodded and then fell silent, her thoughts turning to the Fourteenth Doctor as she hoped both incarnations would come through this with no problems.

* * *

Rebel was up and dressed by the time Carla reached his room.

"I didn't say you could get up yet!" she exclaimed.

Rebel sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled.

"Well, I got the good news – you're not operating today."

Riley was sitting in the chair next to the bed and as he spoke up Rebel's smile faded.

"But only because she's got something _else_ planned, remember?"

"Oh...yes...I was trying to forget about that part," he replied, "So what are you planning, Carla?"

"I'm going to transplant a small amount of brain tissue from the Seventh Doctor into your wound. You have mutated DNA – he doesn't. I've run a simulation several times and it looks like there's a good chance the donor tissue will act as a graft to heal the damage. Time Lord tissue is very different to human – I only came up with the idea because I looked through the Doctor's records from when I was treating the toxin. The graft procedure could save your life, Rebel. I've asked the Doctor and he's willing to donate the tissue. For him it's a very safe procedure."

And Riley shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"For him...but _not_ for my best friend?"

Carla gave a sigh.

"You're very weak," she said to Rebel, "And for you the procedure will carry many risks. It will take several weeks to recover fully and I can't guarantee it will work. It's a chance. That's all it is."

Fear reflected in Rebel's eyes as he looked to Riley.

"What do you think?"

Riley shook his head.

"It's your call, mate. I don't know what I would do, I don't think I could possibly know unless it was happening to me. I think I'd want to take the chance if it was my only hope – I _think _I would. That's the best I can do. I just don't know."

Rebel drew in a slow breath.

His hands were shaking so he briefly clasped them in his lap.

"I'll do it," he said quietly, "Like you said, it's the only chance I have."

"Then we need to go back to 1888 because I need to get a micro fine needle from Annika. She's got a vast collection of them and we could be back with it in two hours."

Rebel's eyes widened.

"Are you saying you want to operate today?"

"The sooner I perform the procedure the better chance you have," she told him, "I'm just trying to keep the odds in your favour."

Rebel got up and put on his coat and turned to Riley.

"Coming with us?"

Riley stood up.

"What, we're leaving now?"

"Soon, " he said, "I'll give the Doctor a shout and see if he wants to come along. We'll take my Tardis."

And then sadness clouded his eyes as a sudden thought hit him.

"_If this doesn't go the way it's planned it could be the last time I get to fly the old girl,"_ he added.

* * *

A short while later Ace and the Doctor joined Rebel and Riley and Carla in the Tardis with the stained glass windows. Carla and Ace had changed back into Victorian clothing and as Rebel set the co ordinates, no one spoke.

There was a sound of rushing wind and the Tardis took off, and then Rebel slammed the accelerator down and placed the house brick on top of it to keep the lever in place.

"I'm going at top speed," he said, "It will be a matter of minutes till we land. I'm hoping we end up inside 34 Walton square – in her treatment room."

"If she's not there we can just take what need and go," Carla remarked.

"You're not going to bother asking?" Ace said.

Carla shrugged.

"Why should I? After what she did to Rebel -"

He looked up from the controls and brushed his dark fringe out of his eyes.

"It was an _accident,_ Carla! She was trying to help me, not _kill_ me! And she warned me beforehand. It's my fault for not listening. _Stop blaming Annika_."

"But she -"

His blue eyes hardened.

"_Stop."_

Carla fell silent, looking away as she struggled to contain her anger.

And then the Tardis landed.

* * *

As Rebel and Riley stepped out first, they saw Annika standing beside her desk, staring at the blue box that had suddenly appeared in her secret room.

"That's your time machine?"

"Yes it is," Rebel told her, "And I'm glad to see you because I wanted to let you know I don't blame you for any of this – you warned me about the risk, I should have listened."

"How are you?" she asked him.

As Carla left the Tardis, the Doctor and Ace followed.

Rebel saw such sadness in Annika's eyes that he reached out and gave her a brief hug.

"I _don't _blame you!" he insisted, "And for now, I'm coping well. That's why we came here – Carla needs some equipment – she's going to perform a graft procedure that could repair the damage."

Annika turned to Carla.

"Anything," she said to her, "Take anything you need."

"I need a very long, possibly extendable micro fine needle," she told her.

Annika drew a key from her pocket and unlocked a metal cabinet.

"I might have what you need in here," she said.

Ace turned to the Doctor and closed her hand over the sleeve of his jacket.

"I need some air..."

"Let's go," he said, "We won't be a minute, Rebel, Ace needs some air..."

* * *

The Doctor led his pregnant wife from the room as she took some deep breaths and tried to fight off a wave of dizziness.

Ace leaned against the Doctor as they went up the hallway and then he opened the door and they went outside.

He walked with her to the gate and she leaned on it as she breathed slowly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked gently.

Ace nodded.

Then she turned her head and he saw tears in her eyes.

"Its not exactly good for me to be heavily pregnant and about to have you go through an operation, and on top of that we don't know if Rebel's going to live...I could _really_ do without all this right now, Professor!"

"It's the last thing any of us wanted, especially Rebel."

The look in her eyes softened.

"I know that," she said to him, "But it's just so hopeless... he's dying..."

"_Or maybe not," _he replied thoughtfully.

And as he spoke a horse drawn hearse passed by, the horses wearing black feathered plumage.

Ace was looking intently at him.

"What do you know, Professor?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Perhaps nothing at all," he replied, "I just can't be sure..."

Ace turned back for the house.

"Let's go back inside, it's cold out here."

They went back up the path and into the house, the Doctor closed the door and then he hurried to catch up with Ace as she headed back to Annika's office. On the way he passed a puzzled looking maid and he hastily raised his hat to her.

"Don't mind me, I can find my own way..._ACE!_"

She stopped walking and waited outside the office with a weary expression on her face.

"Why did you walk away from me like that?" he asked as he caught up with her.

"Because I've had enough of your _old habits _dying hard, Professor. You talk like you know something and then you won't explain the rest of it!"

"Only because I'm not sure of the rest yet!" he insisted, and then he opened the door and they went into the office, and through the unlocked door behind the curtain and back into the hidden room.

* * *

Carla had shut a thin silver case and locked it, then she carried it into the Tardis.

"Thank you for your help." Rebel said, "And I meant what I said - I do not blame you for the outcome of the treatment. I'm glad the empathic receptor's gone silent. That's one good thing to come out of this - I'm trying to focus on the positive."

"I hope the graft works for you," Annika said quietly.

"Oh stop it, I told you, there's no hard feelings!"

Rebel gave her another hug and then stepped back.

"I'm determined to fight," he told her, "I don't give in easily."

And then he went back inside the Tardis and Riley followed.

"Thanks for giving Carla the equipment," Ace said, and Annika nodded.

Then the Doctor and Ace also entered the Tardis, the doors closed and with a sound of rushing wind, the dark blue box with stained glass windows faded in and out of sight before vanishing once more.

* * *

As the Tardis flew through space and time at top, unbroken speed thanks to the house brick that held down the accelerator, Rebel looked up nervously from the controls.

"So what happens when we get back?"

"I'll need you in the lab first," she said to the Seventh Doctor, and Ace felt mildly sick but said nothing.

"Your procedure will take around fifteen minutes," Carla continued, "And then you can have a lie down back in your room and sleep off the remainder of the sedative."

Then she turned to Rebel.

"And then I'll need to prepare you for the graft treatment. I will be sedating you and the procedure will take around four hours. When you wake up you will be in the patients room in the medical facility and as a precaution I will have you on quite a vast amount of life support equipment for monitoring purposes. You will have to rest for at least two weeks before you can even think about getting out of bed. Rest is very important to be sure the graft has the best possible chance of taking. In around four week's time we should either see a big improvement in your condition – or not. That's the chance we are taking."

Rebel's face had turned pale.

He took the brick off the accelerator and slowed speed, and then the Tardis landed back on Sabra in the garden of the research facility.

And the room fell silent save for the usual hum that filled the police box.

Riley looked at Rebel and he looked back at him and then turned nervously to Carla.

"Here we are again on Sabra," he said quietly, and then fell silent again.

The Doctor gave Ace a kiss on the cheek.

"Right," he said, "I suppose someone has to make a first move...Carla, I'll come with you to the lab."

"But Professor -"

He turned back to Ace and gave her another kiss.

"See you back at our room in twenty minutes," he told her, "Stop worrying!"

And then he followed Carla out of the Tardis, keen to get the worst over with, although he felt sure what he was about to experience was nothing compared to the ordeal Rebel faced very soon...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Rebel was sitting on the bed in the room he had hoped to get out of until Carla had broken the news. Now he waited in silence and Riley remained in the seat next to the bed, saying nothing as heavy silence seemed to grow heavier as the minutes ticked by.

Finally Rebel spoke up.

"If I don't make it -"

"Don't talk like that. You heard what Carla said, she won't take any unnecessary risks with you."

But worry still clouded his eyes as he looked at his best friend.

"_I have to tell you something."_

Riley shook his head.

"No, don't start talking like this is the end. A few hours from now you'll wake up feeling a bit sore and then you'll feel better and get bored stuck in bed for two weeks, and then it's all over and back to normal."

"But if it's not, if I don't come back from this -"

Riley gave a sigh.

"Oh I do hate melodrama! It's all going to be sorted, Rebel. Just chill."

"_It was me,"_ he said quietly as he looked towards the window and watched as the sun shone down on the green fields of Sabra, _"I did it... The men who owned the shield system, the ones responsible for the deaths of six billion people when the planet burned...I did it for all of them, but mostly for Bella and the children."_

Riley looked at him as his eyes widened.

"Don't say any more," he whispered.

But Rebel continued:  
"They were going to be arrested and charged with mass murder any way. They would have been put to death without my intervention -"

"Rebel, stop..."

"No, Riley! You are the only one I can tell. They were having a meeting at their head office far from the planet they'd destroyed... I tied a scarf around my face, walked in and shot every single one of them. I killed eight people that day. _I did it for Bella and the children_."

He turned his head and looked back at Riley.

"_And if it was me," _Riley said quietly,_ "I would have done the same."_

Rebel blinked away tears.

"But it doesn't make it right, does it?"

"They would have been executed anyway over what happened. You saved the authorities time and money."

"Perhaps...but I couldn't go through this without telling you the truth."

"And it doesn't matter now, its in the past and you had your reasons – the right ones. Now try and think about what you're going to do when this graft treatment is over. I really can't wait to get back in the Tardis."

"Me too," Rebel said quietly.

And then Carla Bailey walked into the room.

"I'm ready for you," she said to Rebel.

"How's the Doctor?"

"He's fine, he's just gone back to his room to have a lie down. I need you to come through to the theatre now."

Rebel got up and looked back at Riley, whose face had turned pale.

"I'd do anything for you, but this...you know what I'm like...Do...do you want me to come with you?"

Rebel shook his head.

"Just be there when I wake up," he told him, and then he walked out of the the room with Carla. The operating theatre was a short distance up the corridor, but to Rebel, it felt like the longest walk of his life as he wondered if he would come through the treatment as well as Carla hoped...

* * *

Ace was sitting on the bed she shared with the Doctor in the guest apartment.

He was laying back comfortably against a pillow and there was a tiny dressing taped just behind his right ear, the only indication that he had been through any kind of procedure.

"Are you sure it doesn't hurt?"

Ace sounded anxious.

"No Ace, I'm fine. I need to sleep off the sedative. And I may have a slight headache when I wake up but I've got painkillers for that. It was nothing, no big deal at all. I just hope the treatment works for Rebel. If the graft takes, he's got his life back."

"I was so worried about you."

The Doctor's expression softened and he put his arm around her and pulled her close.

"And now you can stop worrying about me! Worry about Rebel, he's the one who needs this help."

"I am worried about him," she said quietly, "I'm scared for him."

"Of course you are."

The Doctor's hand slid down to her swollen belly and he smiled as he felt the baby move.

"You are so much more tuned in to me and my other self because of the baby," he told her, "There's a little kid inside you carrying Time Lord DNA. That makes you so much more aware of me and my other self and how we are linked."

"I feel the connection," she told him, "And its so powerful."

"And now I'd like to get some sleep, " he reminded her, "When I wake up I'll need to take a couple of pills to be sure the headache doesn't get too bad. And then I can carry on with my day. I just hope after his surgery Rebel can carry on with the rest of his life."

His words had put the situation into perspective.

"I hope so too," Ace agreed, and then she rested in his arms as he closed his eyes and slipped into a much needed sleep.

* * *

The next four hours passed awkwardly for Riley as he waited in the corridor, losing count of how many times he had checked his watch. There was no sign of Ace or the other Doctor in all the time he stood waiting, so he remained alone as the time crawled by and he hoped for good news.

Then Carla finally wheeled Rebel back out of theatre and towards his room once more.

Riley hurried to catch up with her, joining her as she moved the bed into the recovery room.

"Is he okay?" he asked anxiously.

Carla said nothing as she began to connect him to lines and monitors.

Riley looked down at his best friend, who was still deeply unconscious. His face looked pale but he saw no sign that any surgery had taken place.

"So he had the operation?"

"Yes he did," Carla leaned over his bed and gently exposed a small scar now stitched shut that was hidden beneath his hair.

"He's going to be pleased about that, he wanted a tiny scar... so it went okay, then?"

"He had no problems." she replied, "But we wont know for a few weeks if the graft was successful or not."

And then Rebel stirred, he turned his head and gave a weak groan.

"Rebel," Carla said, and then she repeated his name again.

He slowly dragged his eyes open.

"My head hurts...I need something for it..."

"Okay, I'll get you on some pain relief," she told him, and Riley turned away and faced the window as he wiped away tears of relief.

"Riley..."

He turned back to the bedside of his closest friend and forced a smile as he held back his tears.

"You've just had an operation, don't you _ever_ shut up? I thought you'd want to go back to sleep."

"How did it go?"

"Very well," he said, and sat down next to him, "It went okay, no problems. Now try and get some rest, you need it."

"I intend to..." Rebel murmured, and then he slipped into a deep sleep once more.

"And I won't leave you," Riley whispered as he took hold of his hand, "I'll keep my promise. I'll still be here when you wake up again."

* * *

_The time passed by._

The Doctor and Ace had decided to remain on Sabra to be around for Rebel – although the Fourteenth Doctor had recovered well enough by the end of the first week to be sitting up in bed complaining of boredom. When Ace and the Doctor visited Rebel it was always a relief to see him looking so well – even though he kept saying he wanted to leave the medical centre and go back to the guest accommodation.

Seeing him looking so well had banished the worst of the worries that Ace had suffered at the beginning, each time she and the Doctor visited him, Rebel seemed well, in fact he seemed brighter and stronger than he had for a long time. And the Doctor, who had recovered within twenty four hours just like Carla had promised he would, was more than willing to spend time with his other self – although it was Riley who more or less lived in his room to keep him company, playing cards and sneaking in bottles of beer from the Tardis bar...

Living here on Sabra had become comfortable for Ace, although she avoided the pool every morning from nine am until mid day, because that was the time Lexi's Sontaran boyfriend swam in it – naked every time...

But one afternoon as she sat by the pool, with the Doctor on the sun longer next to her with his umbrella propped up open to keep the sun out of his eyes, she thought about the future and knew it was time to mention something that couldn't be avoided...

"The baby is due any day now. We should go back to Earth. You know I want her born in Perivale."

The Doctor fell silent for a moment as he watched the sunlight reflect off the still clear water that filled the wide pool.

"I know that. But Rebel should find out soon if the graft has worked. Don't you want us to stay a round for that?"

His remark made her feel slightly guilty, and she wondered if he knew that and had chosen those words very carefully.

"You know I do, Professor! I couldn't leave here without knowing the outcome."

"Then we wait," he told her, "And if you show any signs of going into labour I'll take you back to Perivale in the Tardis. How does that sound?"

She looked at him and smiled.

"I'm happy with that."

And then a thought hit her and her smile faded.

"I just hope it doesn't start here, and happen too fast – I do _not_ want Carla delivering our baby!"

The Doctor chuckled.

"I'm sure that won't happen," he said, and then he got up and offered her his hand.

Ace got up with difficulty, pausing to rub her lower back as a cramp shot through it.

"I just wish this baby would hurry up!" she exclaimed, "I'm so slow and heavy all the time!"

Love sparkled in the Doctor's eyes.

"And you're so beautiful with it," he reminded her.

Ace and the Doctor went back into the house and headed for the lift to take them to the second floor.

"I do like visiting Rebel," she said to him, "It's so good to see him looking so well again."

"Yes...let's hope it stays that way," the Doctor replied quietly,and as they stepped into the lift, Ace shot him a worried glance.

"I don't like the way you said that."

The lift doors closed and the Doctor pressed the button for the second floor.

"Said what?"

"Like you're expecting something bad to happen."

"I'm not, I'm just saying there's a chance the graft might fail."

"Well don't think that way, Professor!"

He looked at her.

"It's called being realistic," he said, "There's a difference between being realistic and pessimistic. I'm hoping the graft will succeed, of course – but it might not..."

"Well I don't want to think that way. He's going to be okay, he has to be!" she said firmly, and the lift stopped at the second floor and the doors opened.

"And I hope it works for him too," the Doctor replied, and they stepped out of the lift and began to walk down the corridor.

* * *

When they reached Rebel's room, the door was open.

Carla walked out and one look at her tearful eyes confirmed the worst.

"No...please don't say -"

Ace didn't have time to finish.

Carla stepped away from the open door and lowered her voice.

"I don't think it's a good time for either of you to see him, Doctor. He became very unwell this morning and a scan has confirmed the graft has failed.. I've just broken the news, Riley's with him, he's trying to calm him down, he's devastated."

Ace drew in a sharp breath as she tried to ignore a dull ace that flickered across her belly.

"He can't be dying!"

"I haven't given up I'm still working on possible treatments but this is very difficult. He's getting weaker now and it's going to be rapid."

Sadness filled the Doctor's eyes.

"My tissue wasn't enough to save him?"

"No," Carla said firmly, "Don't look at it like that – it was always dependent on Rebel's own mutated DNA acting on the introduction of the unmutated tissue and speeding up the healing process. It just didn't work out that way."

As Carla spoke to the Doctor, Ace stepped closer to the open door and looked inside, and then she wished she had not done it:

Riley was sitting on the bed and he had his arms around Rebel, who was weeping against his shoulder.

"It's okay, it's okay," Riley said to him, "I'm here, I won't leave you. Don't be scared, mate...I'm with you..."

And Ace blinked away tears as she thought of the day she had spent in his arms, making good memories for Rebel and the Professor, and then she turned away from the door and looked back at the Doctor and Carla, who were still discussing the graft procedure.

And suddenly she felt a sharp pain, it eased off and water ran down her legs, pooling on the polished floor.

"_Professor!"_

"Just a minute, Ace.."

Another pain cut through her and she gave a gasp as she clutched at her belly.

"I _told _you we should have gone back! I'm in labour!"

She saw a brief flash of panic in the Doctor's eyes, and then he put his arm around her and helped her into a near by empty patient's room.

"You'd better lie down."

"No, Professor! I'm not having the baby here!"

"You may not have a choice," Carla told her, "I think that baby's in a hurry..."

Ace began to breathe heavily and she cried out as another contraction gripped her body.

The Doctor led her over to a bed and helped her to lie back.

"I'll take a look at you, I won't be a minute," Carla said, and then she left the room.

The Doctor ran his hand over her hair and noticed it was suddenly damp with sweat.

"Ace, I don't think we have a choice now – this baby is coming."

She gritted her teeth as another contraction ripped a sharp wave of pain through her body and anger blazed in her eyes.

"But I hate Carla Bailey, I don't want her to be my midwife, I want to smash her face in with my bat because she _slept_ with you!"

Then she gave another cry of pain and the Doctor grabbed hold of her hand.

"Take some slow breaths," he reminded her.

"Slow breaths?...I _hate_ Carla! _She's a slut!_"

Ace cried out again and then she fell silent, gripping the Doctor's hand as she finally put her hatred for Carla out of her mind and concentrated instead on her breathing.

* * *

Riley had held his best friend in his arms for a long time until his tears had finally stopped.

Then as he let go Rebel looked into his eyes and spoke quietly as he made his decision.

"I'm going back to the Tardis. It's my home. I don't want to die here, I want to be at home, can you understand that?"

Riley nodded.

"Why don't we move it into here, into this room? Then you're still in the Tardis but you know the medical facility is just outside the door – you know, in case you need some pain relief or something like that."

Rebel's eyes were red from crying as he looked into the eyes of his best friend.

"I've got everything I need in my Tardis," he replied, "Starting with a T Bomb."

Riley's eyes widened on hearing that remark.

"I don't think you should be turning to the hard stuff at a time like this."

"But there will never be another time to turn to anything," Rebel replied, "it's too late. I'm going out the way I want to."

And then a scream echoed down the corridor.

"That," Riley said, "Is the sound of Ace giving birth to the Doctor's baby. Your kid too! At least stay around for that before you do anything else. You want to see the baby, don't you?"

And the look in Rebel's eyes softened as he nodded.

"Yes, I want to see her," he replied, "I want to live long enough to get to know my baby. Now help me up, I want to get dressed."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

He shrugged.

"I really don't think it matters any more," he replied, and then he leaned heavily on Riley and slowly got out of bed.

* * *

Ace was soaked in sweat as she clung to the Doctor's hand and pushed again.

"You're almost there," Carla told her, "One more push..."

Ace drew in a ragged breath and glared at Carla.

"_I hate you! I don't want you delivering my kid -"_

Then she screamed again, pushed and gave another cry of pain.

The Doctor was stroking her damp hair and speaking to her softly.

"You've done it, Ace, you clever girl..."

And he leaned over and kissed her.

Ace was still exhausted, but she noticed the pain that had griped her body had lifted away. Then she heard a baby's cry fill the room and she started to laugh and cry at the same time.

"_That's our baby..."_

"I know, and she's a big, healthy girl too," Carla told her, handing her the newborn wrapped in a blanket.

Ace leaned against the Doctor as she held her daughter in her arms. The child looked up at her with wide blue eyes. Her hair was dark like the Professor and Ace was shedding tears of joy.

"She's _so_ perfect!"

"I know she is," the Doctor replied, and emotion choked his voice as he gazed at the child in his wife's arms.

Ace looked to the Doctor and smiled.

"I love you so much, Professor."

"I love you too," he said as tears filled his eyes, and then he kissed her gently.

* * *

Rebel was dressed and ready to leave. He was slightly unsteady and complaining of blurring vision in his right eye.

"Are you sure you can walk okay?" Riley said to him.

"No but I'm going to try," he replied, and he reached the door and bumped against the frame and Riley put his arm around him again.

As they stepped out of the room Carla was passing and she stopped walking down the corridor and stared at the sight of Rebel up and dressed and leaning on Riley for support.

"Where are you going?"

"I did it your way," Rebel told her, "And it's failed. Now I'm going to fetch my Tardis and bring it up here, so I can live in the Tardis but remain at the medical centre. Don't try and stop me because if I'm going to die, I will be on board my own ship, not here in a hospital room."

Carla nodded.

"Of course, what ever you want to do is fine by me," she said softly.

"And Carla -"

"What, Rebel?"

She looked tearful, as if finding out the graft had failed had broken her heart.

"There's so much I want to say to you," he said fondly, "But there's no time – no time left now._ I'm sorry_."

Now her eyes were glassy.

"I understand," she said in a hushed voice, and then Rebel turned for the lift and Riley walked with him, supporting him all the way.

* * *

Ace was resting in bed and their newborn daughter was in the arms of the Doctor as he sat beside her.

"You are going to have such a wonderful life," he said to the baby in his arms, "Because Daddy is a Time Lord with a Tardis! Wait till you find out what that means!"

And the child smiled up at him.

"I think you already know," he said softly, "You know you are part Time Lord..."

"I think she can understand you!" Ace exclaimed.

The Doctor laughed.

"She probably can!"

And then a sound like rushing wind filled the corridor outside.

"Was that Rebel's Tardis?" she wondered.

"Sounded like it," he replied, and he handed the baby back to Ace.

"I won't be a minute...I might bring Rebel in to say Hi, is that okay?"

Ace smiled.

"I think seeing Alice would do him a lot of good," she replied.

And as he reached the door, the Doctor turned back to her.

"I thought we said Ruby?"

"But you said it might not suit her...and she looks like an Alice."

The Doctor smiled again. She was sure he hadn't stopped smiling since their daughter had taken her first breath.

"Then we'll call her Alice!" he exclaimed, and he left the room in search of Rebel.

* * *

The Doctor's search took him a few doors down the corridor, back to the room where Rebel had been resting since his operation. Now the dark blue Tardis with the stained glass windows was up against a wall in the corner, and as he walked towards it the door opened and Rebel and Riley stepped out, and Rebel seemed unsteady.

_And his pupils were like pin pricks and he stank of burnt volcanic rock..._

"Problem?" he said to the Doctor.

"Drugs again? That's not the answer and you know it!"

"Don't judge me," Rebel replied, "Judging is _not_ allowed any more because I'm a dying man."

"He didn't take a lot, he was sensible," Riley added, "I kept an eye on him."

"Maybe when you've got over your current high you might want to come and see the baby – I realise the smell of a T bomb is harmless to those around you, but Ace would be rather sensitive about it considering she's just given birth."

"I'll see her later on," Rebel told him, "I just wanted to let Carla know -"

"Let me know what – have you done a T bomb?"

Carla walked into the room and stared at him in disbelief.

"You need to take care of yourself!"

"What would be the point in doing that now?" he asked her, "I just wanted to let you know I've moved the Tardis in here. And I'm _staying_ in the Tardis. If I feel unwell I'll go to the Tardis lab and you can treat me in there. It's my home, I'm going to die in my home, Carla."

She nodded and blinked to clear her vision as tears threatened to fill her eyes again.

"That's understandable. Can I do anything for you now? Do you need anything?"

And he gave a short gasp as weakness overcame him and he leaned against Riley.

"You could help me back into the Tardis...I'll lie down in the lab, my head hurts again. I think I need some pain relief."

"I'll do that for you now," Carla said as worry clouded her eyes. She had expected the effects of the T bomb to make him feel numb for a while, but he was still feeling pain and that was _not_ a good sign at all...

* * *

As Carla left the room, Riley helped Rebel into the Tardis and the Doctor followed.

Riley took him through the console room and down the corridor to the lab, where he lay back heavily on the bed.

As he started to break out in a sweat and then took off his shirt, the Doctor recalled all he had seen in the vision:

_Rebel did not have long to live..._

As he lay back and sweat ran from his body he felt weakness washing over him, and he reached up and grabbed Riley's hand.

"_Get Carla...I need her here..."_

Riley was pale and his voice was shaken as he replied at once.

"It's okay, mate...she's on her way...just hold on, I'm here for you, don't be scared..."

And Rebel briefly closed his eyes as his breathing grew heavier, then as he opened his eyes again he struggled to focus through vision that was darkening in his right eye.

"I think it's starting...the end...I feel no sign of regeneration...nothing..._Carla?_"

"I'm here." she was breathless from the run and she had a syringe in her hand intending to give him a shot for the pain, but instead she placed it on the table next to the bed and sat beside him as he grabbed at her hand and struggled to focus on her face.

"Carla, I wish we had more time...I wanted to say...no, no time now...I'm dying, I can feel it..."

The Doctor leaned over him and spoke quietly into his ear.

"_Only the brave reach Stellar Eternus. Follow the star map."_

But neither Riley nor Carla had heard him; Riley was standing back from the bed and wiping his eyes and Carla was clutching at Rebel's hand as she told him to hold on.

Rebel slowly opened his eyes.

"_Please don't die," Carla said tearfully, "I love you so much..."_

He drew in a weak breath as his skin shone with sweat and then he whispered, _"It's a game, Carla... between me and Death... He's staring me out and I'm waiting for him to blink first..."_"

And then he took in another slow breath and his eyes closed and his grip on her hand slipped away.

Carla got up, looking down at him in disbelief.

"Rebel..." she said as she gave a sob, "No, _No!_"

And as she crumbled weeping into Riley's arms, the Seventh Doctor went over to them and joined them, embracing them as they wept together.

_And Rebel slowly opened his eyes hearing the sound of high heeled shoes crossing the Tardis floor._

_Bella walked over to the bed and smiled as she held out her hand._

"_You need to be somewhere, lover," she said, and he reached up and took her hand, and the two of them left the room as Carla and Riley wept and the Seventh Doctor embraced them both, as Rebel's body lay cold in bed._

Moments later the Tardis was filled with the sound of rushing wind.

Riley let go of Carla as they looked to the Doctor in confusion.

"Did Rebel set a pre-programmed flight plan?" Carla wondered, and Riley shook his head.

"So why have we taken off?" she said.

The Doctor glanced over at Rebel's body, and then he turned back to his companions with a knowing look in his eyes as the theory he had long kept silent about began to make a _great _deal of sense...

"_I do believe we are following a star map,"_ he told them.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**"Will you defeat them,**  
**your demons, and all the non-believers,**  
**the plans that they have made?**  
**Because one day I'll leave you,**  
**A phantom to lead you in the summer,**  
**To join The Black Parade..."**

**- Welcome to the Black Parade, My Chemical Romance.**

* * *

The Tardis was hurtling through space and time at top speed.

Carla took a confused look back at Rebel's body and then Riley grabbed her by the hand and they ran out of the lab and down the corridor and the Doctor followed, heading for the console room.

"I don't get it," Riley said, seeing the blank star map on the console.

"How it the Tardis flying itself?" Carla wondered as lights flashed and the usually broken accelerator stayed down at full speed without the aid of the house brick.

And the Seventh Doctor just stood there watching thoughtfully as the accelerator shifted gear and slowed the Tardis to a peaceful orbit. Through the viewing screen, there was nothing to see but dark, starless space...

"What do we do now?" Riley said as he looked to the Doctor.

"_We wait,"_ he replied, _"That's what we do, Riley, we just wait..."_

And Rebel stood unseen at the console, looking out at the view of a planet that glowed ghostly against the blackness of space.

"You can see it now," Bella said to him, and she took him by the hand and led him over to the viewing screen.

He looked back at Riley and Carla and the Doctor and shook his head in disbelief.

"They can't see me?"

"Time to leave," she told him.

"But I have to land the Tardis."

She smiled.

"Ships can't land on Stellar Eternus."

He looked into her eyes.

"Tell me how to get there.

She grabbed both his hands and held on tightly.

"_We fly!"_ she said, and then she stepped back, and he tumbled forward, and they passed through the wall of the Tardis and out into the blackness of space as they rushed at speed towards the ghostly planet of the dead.

* * *

As mist covered them and sped by, they continued to fly as if carried on the wind, and suddenly the falling stopped and they were on solid ground once more.

Rebel looked around, saw green fields and far in the distance houses he recalled from long ago...this was the planet they _used _to live on, in the days before the solar shield failed and the world burned...

"Welcome home," said Bella.

Rebel stared at her.

"How can everything still be here?"

"Because we bring everything in our hearts with us," she told him, "And our world – our lives – go on, here on Stellar Eternus."

And then a sudden thought hit him and he blinked away tears as he started to smile.

"I can_ touch _you!"

And her eyes sparkled as sunlight made her hair shine.

"Come here," she said softly, and held out her arms.

He embraced her tightly and as she looked into his eyes she explained some more:

"The other Doctor was right – only the valiant can reach Stellar Eternus. The dead – and those who die before their time..._if _they're lucky enough and brave enough."

"What do you mean? He asked her.

Bella's eyes sparkled again.

"You have to let us go," she said softly, "One day we will meet again, but not yet...it was our time to go, and we are happy here. And you must also be happy now. No more mourning for our loss because there is no loss, Doctor. _Life never truly ends_. We are proof of that."

"_We?_" he said in a hushed voice.

Bella let go of him and turned to the field.

"_Kids!"_ she called out, _"Daddy's here!"_

And his eyes blurred with tears as his two children ran to him and he held them in his arms tightly and wept with joy.

"We've missed you," said his daughter. "

But we're okay," said his son, "We're all happy again."

Then Bella grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and gave it a tug, and he turned to face her.

"There's no time," she said to him, "One more kiss, lover – and then goodbye."

His eyes clouded with confusion.

"Goodbye?"

Her eyes shone with love as she put her arms around him again.

"This planet of the dead is also the planet of miracles. For those who die before their time, who are brave enough to cross over...now kiss me goodbye, and let go of the sorrow in your heart. Your story is not over. You must carry on and start again, and when you think of us, remember us with joy in your hearts, as we think of you always."

He clung to her tightly as he pulled her closer and kissed her.

Then she pulled back from him and turned to the children.

"Hurry up!" she said, "Come here, we all have to cuddle Daddy because he needs our help...do it quickly..." and joy shone in her eyes as she smiled, adding, _"He can't stay – he's got to be somewhere..."_

And as she held him and his children hugged him tightly, sparks of light shimmered about them, glowing brighter and brighter as all pain was lifted away from his soul forever.

* * *

In the Tardis, the Doctor was still watching the screen thoughtfully, seeing nothing but a black void in space.

Then suddenly the screen on the console flickered, and the star map disappeared, replaced by an ordinary map of the twelve known galaxies.

Riley stared at the screen and then looked back at the Doctor.

"What's going on?"

Then the console burst into life, lights flashed and with the sound of rushing wind, the Tardis took off, the accelerator slammed down and the ship set off on a new course.

"Doctor?" Carla said, "Where are we going now?"

He glanced down at the flight plan and then looked up at her.

"Back to Sabra. I'd say we are _all _going back to Sabra."

She looked at him in confusion, and then he smiled.

"_All of us, Carla,"_ he said warmly.

She stared at him for a moment, and then she suddenly understood, even though it seemed to make no sense.

"Rebel!" she gasped, and she turned and ran from the console room, heading for the lab.

"I don't get none of this," Riley said, but all the same he hurried after her.

The Doctor paused to look up at the ceiling of the console room as he spoke to the Tardis in a low voice.

"_Oh but I do," _he said knowingly, _"I get it...the legends about Stellar Eternus...it's all true."_

And then he walked out of the console room, went down the corridor and headed for the lab.

* * *

"Carla, wait for me – what's going on?"

Riley's voice had echoed down the corridor but she ran on, turning sharply into the lab as she hoped with every beat of her racing heart that she had understood the Doctor correctly.

But Rebel was still on the bed, pale and motionless.

She went over to him and sat beside his body, ran her hand over his hair and said his name softly.

And then as she placed her hand on his cheek, she realised he was warm...

"_Rebel?" _her voice trembled as she said his name again, then her gaze shifted to his tattooed chest, and tears of joy sprang to her eyes as she saw the rise and fall of his breathing, faintly at first, and then getting stronger...

"Rebel?" she said again.

And he gave a gasp and opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"Carla..." he said, sounding strangely alert all of a sudden, "What was I saying about death...Oh yes..."

And his eyes sparkled as he smiled.

"I do believe death blinked first! Here I am. _Still alive_."

And he sat up, looked intently at Carla and then he rubbed the side of his head, feeling a fading scar but no pain.

"And I feel absolutely fine. I think that graft worked after all."

She gave a sob as tears of joy fell from her eyes and she flung her arms around him.

Riley stood in the lab with his mouth open as he stared in disbelief, and then his eyes filled with tears.

"_He's alive,"_ he said as his voice choked with emotion, _"Rebel's alive, Doctor!"_

And the Doctor stood in the doorway and watched as Carla embraced the man she loved, then she pulled back and looked into his eyes again as if she could scarcely believe it was true.

"_Yes,"_ the Doctor said as he smiled, _"So he is. I do love a happy ending."_

And with the sound of rushing wind, the Tardis landed back on the planet of Sabra.

* * *

Two days later, Ace was rested and recovered enough to leave with the Doctor.

They were planning to spend some time in Perivale – Audrey was yet to find out she had just become a grandmother.

As Ace sat on the sofa in the guest apartment, she cradled her daughter in her arms and looked thoughtfully at the Doctor.

"So Rebel was actually dead - and then he _wasn't_?"

"That's right," the Doctor said as he put on his hat and picked up his umbrella, "That's why I didn't explain everything – I wasn't holding back from you, Ace – I just wasn't sure if the legend was true."

Ace got up from the chair and as she carried their child, the Doctor picked up her rucksack and they headed for the door.

"What is the legend?" she asked him as they walked up the corridor.

"That the planet of Stellar Eternus holds the power to restore life to those who die before their time is up," he replied, "And it's clearly more than a legend, or Rebel wouldn't have come back from the dead."

And as they reached the lift they saw Rebel, Carla and Riley waiting there.

"I hope we meet again soon," Rebel said, and shook the Doctor's hand. Then he turned to Ace and as he looked at the child in her arms he felt a glow in his hearts.

"Safe journey," he said to her, "And be sure to tell this little one all about her Uncle Rebel."

Ace smiled.

"As if I could ever forget him," she said softly.

"Bye, Doctor," said Carla, and he nodded to her, said goodbye to Riley and stepped into the lift. Ace turned her head, took one last look at Rebel and smiled, then she looked to Carla, then past Carla.

"Bye Riley," she said fondly, and then she got into the lift and the doors closed.

Then Ace turned to the Doctor, who eyed her suspiciously.

"No goodbye to Carla?"

"No," she replied.

The lift stopped and the doors opened and they got out and headed for the door.

Lexi and Venx were out by the pool and Lexi giggled as he splashed into the water and the sound carried through the house.

"Shall we pop out to the patio and say goodbye to Lexi and Venx?" the Doctor asked as amusement sparkled in his eyes.

"No thanks!" Ace exclaimed, "I _don't _want to see a skinny dipping Sontaran, I've just had my breakfast!"

And the Doctor laughed, and then they walked out of the house and across the field, heading for the Tardis.

* * *

As the Doctor and Ace walked towards the police box they both thought of as home, Ace glanced at the Doctor.

"This is going to sound really weird after everything that's happened here, but I'm going to miss this planet, Professor!"

They had reached the Tardis. He drew his key from his pocket and unlocked the door.

"I don't think it's forever," he replied, "We'll come back here one day."

"When?" Ace asked him as they stood by the open door.

He smiled at the baby in her arms.

"When Alice gets married. It will be a lovely place to hold the wedding service."

Her eyes widened.

"Married?_ Who_ is she going to marry, Professor?"

He went inside and she followed.

"Who? Oh, I don't know..."

"You'd better not be keeping secrets!"

He replied with warmth in his voice.

"_As if I'd do that..."_

And then the Tardis door closed and moments later, with a wheeze and a whoosh, the police box faded in and out of sight, and then it disappeared.

* * *

As the sun dipped lower in the sky on the planet of Sabra, Carla packed up the last of her lab equipment and headed back to the dark blue Tardis with the stained glass windows.

When she got there Riley was standing by the open doorway.

"Trust me," he said, "You do _NOT_ want to disturb Rebel. Just don't go in his bedroom. He's busy."

"Doing what?" she wondered, and she went into the Tardis, Riley followed and then he closed the door.

As they stood together in the console room and the Tardis gave off its familiar hum, Riley spoke again.

"Since he..._came back_...he's been a bit different. He's doing things a bit different."

"Like what?"

Carla looked around the console room. The communications screen was still cracked and the house brick was on the floor near the accelerator.

"I don't see anything different in here."

"No, _he's_ a bit different," Riley said, "He went into the lab, threw out most of the illegal substances – kept a little bit back but most of it is gone – he said he doesn't want to mess his head up any more. But I'm pleased and relieved to report that he's keeping the Tardis bar and all the alcohol."

"Sounds like he wants to make a new start."

"He certainly does!" he said, "Just don't go in his room – he wants to be left alone, he said he had something important to do."

"Okay, I'll remember that," Carla said, and then she left the console room.

Carla went down the corridor, left the equipment in the lab and hurried back towards Rebel's closed bedroom door.

"Rebel?" she called out, "Can I come in?"

"Just a minute!" he called back, "I'm busy!"

Now curiosity had really got to her.

"Doing what?" she wondered.

"I'll be with you in a minute...just wait there, it's a surprise."

And Carla smiled.

"Okay, I'm waiting..."

"One minute..or maybe two...just wait..."

"Okay."

Carla waited.

The door opened sharply.

Her eyes widened, and Rebel smiled.

"What do you think?"

She was still looking at him in surprise:

Rebel was no longer dressed in black. He wore dark jeans with a white shirt patterned with gold roses that was partly unbuttoned, a scarlet waist coat embroidered with gold and a grey jacket with matching roses on the lapels. There was not a shade of black about _anything_ he wore...

He smiled.

"Do you like it?" he asked her.

She smiled too.

"You look very handsome," she said honestly.

"Good, I'm glad you like it. Now that's sorted out, let's get out of here!"

And he grabbed her by the hand and ran, and she laughed as she half-tripped keeping up with him as they raced into the console room.

"Blimey you look different!" Riley exclaimed, "I like it!"

Rebel let go of Carla's hand and turned to the console and tapped in a sequence, and as the sound of rushing wind filled the air, the Tardis vanished from Sabra and suddenly the viewing port showed nothing but inky black space punctured by stars.

He turned to his companions.

"So where shall we go first?" he said, "Past, or future, backwards or forwards? Or shall I just take her for a spin around the galaxy?"

"I really don't mind as long as I can sit in the bar and crack open a cold beer," Riley replied.

"Then go and do it," Rebel said, "I'll join you later."

Riley turned to leave the console room, but then a sudden thought hit him and he turned back again.

"Rebel...you know that entity..."

Rebel thought for a moment.

"What? Oh, that entity, the one we got rid of...what about it?"

Riley hesitated.

"Well there was one thing bothering me and I was hoping you could clear it up...was it a female entity or a male entity?"

Rebel blinked.

"What?"

"I _really_ need to know, mate."

Rebel leaned on the console and paused for thought.

"Well I suppose the correct answer would be, neither – it was simply a shapeless mass capable of assuming any form it chose, any species or gender."

"But I kissed it. I thought it was a girl and I kissed it, and I enjoyed it and now I'm a _bit_ worried..."

"What?" said Carla.

Rebel looked at him in confusion.

"Riley, it was simply an entity. _No gender._ You believed it was female, so therefore you believed you kissed a woman. I can't really explain it any clearer..."

Carla smiled as she looked away towards the view of space beyond the Tardis.

"I think I get it," Riley said, "But I'm never kissing anything _ever _again until I'm sure, know what I mean? If I'm not sure, I'll keep well away from it...and now I think I'll go and get that cold beer."

Rebel smiled.

"You do that," he said, and as Riley walked away, Carla giggled.

Rebel smiled too and as their eyes met, she knew there was a question that had to be asked now, while they were alone.

"When you were dying you said there was something you wanted to say, but then you said there was no time. What was it, Rebel? What did you want to say to me?"

"I wanted to say a lot of things," he replied, and then he turned his attention to the console, and she turned back to the view of space, and he said no more as she wondered if she ever should have raised the question.

"Sorry," she said quietly, "Maybe I shouldn't be asking...it's been a difficult time for you and -"

She fell silent as she felt his hands resting gently on her shoulders as he stood behind her.

"_I wanted to say," _Rebel began softly, _"That I'm far from perfect. I've made a lot of mistakes, my life has been in a real mess and nothing may ever be perfect. But I do love you. I love you with both my hearts and as deeply as that space out there stretches on to forever. I love you, Carla Bailey, that's what I wanted to say. I love you."_

She turned around and looked up at him and as their eyes met he smiled.

"And now I want to kiss you," he said, "And then take you off to bed and stay there for a _very _long time. How does that sound?"

Carla slid her arms around him and pulled him close and as their lips touched and their kiss deepened, no more words were needed.

* * *

As the Seventh Doctor's Tardis landed in Perivale, Ace came into the console room and smiled as her eyes sparkled with joy.

"She must love being in here, Professor! She's still asleep in the nursery."

"Of course she loves the Tardis," the Doctor replied, "She's part Time Lord!"

Ace suddenly thought of the other Doctor who was now so far away.

"I hope things worked out for Rebel," she said.

"_But not for Carla."_

"What?"

The Doctor turned off the Tardis controls.

"Please don't hate her, Ace – you don't know what may lie ahead for her. We all have lives to lead and futures to unfold. She doesn't deserve your hatred."

"I can't help it. I just think of her and you and -"

"Now she's with Rebel," he reminded her.

Ace smiled again.

"I'm so glad you asked me to get close to him. I made good memories for you and him, for you in your future life one day."

The Doctor looked at her knowingly.

"There is _another _way to look at it," he remarked, "Haven't you thought of it yet?"

Ace shook her head.

"What other way can I look at it, Professor?"

He smiled and she caught a rather sneaky look flash in his eyes.

"Well, " he said, "It's like this, Ace – I slept with Carla, and you slept with her boyfriend. _I'd say that evens up the score._"

She stared at him.

"The score?"

Then the sound of Alice waking carried down the corridor.

"Baby's awake," he remarked, "You'd better go and get her, Ace – we're off to your mother's for tea."

"It was about evening up the score?" she said again.

"As well as making good memories," he replied, "So don't hate Carla Bailey, there's no need, you're even now."

Ace looked at him and wondered if the Professor had been joking or if he really meant what he had said about scores. Then she heard Alice cry again.

"I'll go and get her," she said.

And Ace left the console room.

The Doctor looked around the Tardis and his crafty smile returned as he thought about what he had said to Ace.

"_Oh yes indeed," _he murmured as he smiled, _"It certainly evens up the score, Ace...it evens it up very nicely indeed..."_

And then Ace returned with baby Alice.

"Shall we go?" he said cheerfully, and she smiled and nodded.

He went over to the door and opened it, and Ace and the baby went out first.

Then the Doctor paused, looked back and smiled as that crafty gleam appeared in his eyes again as he shared a silent moment with the Tardis as he thought about his real reason for asking Ace to get close to his future self, and then he locked up the police box, put his arm around his wife and they set off down the street towards her mother's house, where a family reunion, and hot tea, awaited them.

End

* * *

**Author Note:**

**Hope this read has been enjoyed. **

**And...Book 4 in this series of fics will be coming along shortly, and will be called 'Legion of Steel'. **

**Yes, there's more of 7/Ace, more of Rebel and his companions, and there will be Cybermen too... **

**Book 4 will be coming soon ~ Aline Riva**


End file.
